


Rescue Me (Show Me Who I Am)

by truecaptainswanlove



Category: Once Upon a Time (TV)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Non-Magical, Alternate Universe - Superheroes/Superpowers, Eventual Smut, F/M, Fluff and Angst, Little Bit of Everything
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2018-05-23
Updated: 2018-08-01
Packaged: 2019-05-13 03:05:15
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 8
Words: 35,738
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/14740851
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/truecaptainswanlove/pseuds/truecaptainswanlove
Summary: By day, he is Killian Jones, reporter for the local newspaper in the town of Storybrooke, Maine. At night, he is Captain Hook, protector of Storybrooke, saving lives to make up for the lives he couldn't save when it mattered most. Enter Emma Swan, a guarded woman brought to town by the son she gave up for adoption 10 years ago. As Emma becomes accustomed to small town life, she grows closer to both Killian and his counter part, while trying to defeat local villains The Evil Queen and Rumplestiltskin. With Emma and Killian growing closer, will he be able to trust her with his secret? Can they save Storybrooke from evil- and save each other from their own demons in the process?





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> This idea popped into my head last spring, when Colin did the Happy, Sad, Confused interview and said he was on the short list to play Superman. I finally started writing it a few months ago since it just wouldn't leave me alone :) I was hoping to have the whole story written before I started posting but lately I've been having trouble finding the motivation to write, so I decided to start posting anyway. I have about 10 chapters done and know exactly where the story is going, so hopefully knowing people are waiting for a chapter will make it easier to write :)  
> Title is from the song "Rescue Me (How the Story Ends)" by Kerri Roberts

Killian Jones walked into the offices of _The Storybrooke Mirror_ , the newspaper of the small Maine town, a large black coffee in hand to lift away the morning fog, his messenger bag slapping against his leg with every alternative step. He had been working at the newspaper since moving to Storybrooke a year ago. They were very old school at _The Mirror_ ; while most papers were putting more resources into the digital side of things, _The Mirror_ had yet to make a website where readers could look for stories online, printing a physical copy of the paper six days of the week. Sidney Glass, the chief editor of the paper, insisted that the people of Storybrooke wanted a more personal touch with their news and that moving to a digital format would take that away. If you asked Killian though, it was probably because everything about Storybrooke was a bit stuck in the past. They still had typewriters around for Christ’s sake, although thankfully Killian had been able to snag one of the few newer computers available; the rest of them looked as if they’d been there since the 80’s. Not that Killian could complain too much about his job; being a reporter hadn’t been his initial plan when he went to school but it had worked out well for him, with the flexible hours allowing him to take part in some of his … extracurricular activities.

“Good morning Killian,” sang out a far too cheerful voice for this early in the morning (although Killian could just be grumpy because he had been out late last night). Looking around, he smiled at the sight of his coworker Belle, trying to balance a pile of folders near as tall as her while in ridiculously tall heels. She did it the same way she did everything though; with an effortless grace that you couldn’t help but admire. Belle worked part time as a reporter, devoting the rest of the time to the local library. She had been one of Killian’s first friends when he’d moved to town; although he’d been in the States for most of his adult life, his English accent stuck out in the small town in a way it hadn’t in New York. Belle had taken him under her wing, being from Australia originally, moving to Storybrooke about five years ago after the tragic death of her mother. The two had bonded over their similar love of literature and the fact that they worked in the same field. Their personalities were almost polar opposites; Belle was optimistic and cheerful, always seeing the bright side of things, while Killian could be more cynical and brooding at times but they were able to make the friendship work and balance each other out.

“Good morning Belle,” he greeted her as she approached him. “How are you this fine morning?”

“I’m good,” she replied as she set her folders down on the nearest available surface and grabbed a copy of the morning paper. “Have you seen today’s edition yet?”

“Haven’t had the chance lass,” Killian said, though he had an idea of what would be on the front page. “Anything good in there today?”

Handing it to him with a flourish, Belle remarked, “Your story made the front page again!”

Looking down at it, he saw the story he had submitted last night had indeed made it to the front page. _Captain Hook Saves the Day!_ exclaimed the headline, featuring a photo of the local superhero, leather duster flowing behind him, black mask covering the top half of his face, steel hook in place of a left hand extended out as he flew into action.

“I don’t know how you do it,” Belle continued. “You always seem to be on or near the scene when Hook is saving the day. It’s like you have a sixth sense for where he is.”

Killian smirked at her words. Oh, if she only knew. “I just get lucky, I suppose,” he said instead.

“I’d say. Well, I should get to work,” Belle said as she picked up the folders she had set down. “I have a story due at the end of the week and need to get some research done.”

“One of the perks of being both a reporter and the local librarian, I’m sure,” Killian quipped. “Always having access to research materials.”

Belle allowed a small smile. “It has its advantages, working two jobs I suppose.” Belle worked at the newspaper office in the mornings; Storybrooke didn’t have enough of a population to justify opening the library in the morning. In the afternoons though, she opened up the library and ran an afterschool program for some of the town’s youth, allowing them access to books they wanted to read or research materials for the older students. It only ran for an hour and there was only a handful of students but Belle loved it. Once all the children were gone, she’d stay open for another couple hours for the rest of the town’s population. Belle lived and breathed books and wanted to share her passion with as many people as possible.

“I’ll leave you to it then,” Killian said. “I’ll see you around Belle.”

“See you Killian,” Belle said over her shoulder as she walked away. Looking down at the paper still clutched in his hand, Killian studied the photo. It wasn’t the best quality; it was a bit blurred and out of focus but that had been done on purpose; Killian didn’t want anyone to study the photo too closely and realize Captain Hook looked an awful lot like the reporter that had wrote the story.

Yes, Killian mused, there was an advantage to having two jobs. How else could he get all the scoops on Captain Hook after all, if they weren’t one and the same? Setting the paper down, Killian continued on to his desk.

*****

Standing on the roof of the library, Killian surveyed the town, keeping an eye out for trouble. His long leather coat kept out the chill of the fall air, along with his leather pants and boots. He also wore a black mask over his eyes that he detested but he didn’t want anyone to know that Captain Hook was really Killian Jones. He wasn’t sure what had made him go with this look when he first started saving people; he supposed it was to look the part of a pirate, given his name. Captain Hook had been an easy choice for an alias; Killian had lost his left hand nearly five years ago and he had found that putting a hook in its place placed a healthy amount of fear in criminals. He had never killed anyone with it. He’d given a few left hooks with it, if you knew what he meant, but he’d never used it to draw blood. There had been only one villain that Killian had ever planned on plunging his hook into, watching in satisfaction as the life drained out of the Crocodile but with his nemesis seemingly gone, the hook was mostly a prop now. Everyone else he took in, he tried to do so without hurting them too severely.

He hadn’t always been a hero though. For years Killian had tried to suppress his powers but after the Crocodile, or The Dark One as he was also known, took everything from him, he spent years trying to avenge his beloved Milah. In doing so, he’d gone after any criminal that had a connection to The Dark One, questioning them on where he could find the super villain, using fear to pry out their answers and showing little mercy to anyone who didn’t have the information that he needed. Revenge had changed him in some ways, causing him to almost be as ruthless as some of the criminals he went after. It was only when his quest had come up short that he’d realized how many years he’d wasted. His constant pursuit of revenge had left him alone, with no one who cared for him, his life meaningless and empty with no purpose. So, he’d decided to make a purpose for himself and use his powers for the right reasons.

Killian had first discovered his superpowers when he’d moved to the States near twenty years ago. He could fly, shoot out rays from his eyes, put out fires with a breath of air, hear for miles around, and had super strength. It had only been the last few years though that he’d started using his powers; when he’d first arrived to America, he hadn’t done anything with them, trying to live as normal a life as possible. Or as normal was possible, given the circumstances that had surrounded his young childhood. He had been born on the island of Misthaven, a secluded island off of Europe. Misthaven wasn’t on any map and few travelers found it. No one knew why that was; whether it was because the waters around the island were treacherous, keeping any but the most skilled sailors away or if there was some other force at play. The inhabitants of Misthaven looked the same as humans, had the same features as them and had DNA that was almost exactly identical (Liam had meticulously looked into it over the years they’d lived in the States, wanting to make sure that they would blend in and not have their blood work show up anything that would set off alarms. The only difference he could find had been a slightly higher iron content and that could easily be explained away). For some reason though, when Killian had left his childhood home, he’d discovered his powers. Liam had been fascinated by it, coming up with many theories as to why this was. They’d never been able to figure it out though, not that Killian had been too bothered by it. All that had mattered at the time was he and his brother were together. Then that had been ripped away from him and suddenly, Killian was alone.

Shaking his head to clear away the depressing thoughts, Killian tilted his head as he heard something from a few blocks down.

“Hello gorgeous,” came a male voice, making Killian’s skin crawl. “Now, we can do this the easy way or the hard way. How ‘bout you be a good girl and give me your wallet and nobody has to get hurt.”

“Look buddy, I’m not in the mood for this,” replied an unfamiliar female voice, sounding more exasperated than scared, Killian’s mouth ticking up at the corner at this fact. But then her predator replied, making Killian scowl. “All right, you asked for it bitch.” Killian moved into action at the man’s words, determined to save the woman from this low life scum.

As Killian landed at the mouth of the alleyway where the altercation was taking place, he took in the scene in front of him. Standing closest to him was a man dressed all in black, a ski mask over his head to hide his face, his back to the street. Beyond him was a woman Killian had never seen before. He was sure of it, because she was not the type of woman you’d forget. She had long, curly blond hair just past her shoulders, which were set in a defensive stance, creamy pale skin with a light dusting of freckles over her nose, her perfect pink lips turned down in a scowl. She was wearing a red leather jacket over a light coloured top and skin tight jeans that did wonderful things for her curves, boots with a thick heel hugging her thighs. It was her eyes though that were the most captivating; they were the same colour as emeralds, sparkling even in the dim light, not with fear but with determination. But they also held a look Killian was all too familiar with, the look when you’ve been left alone. Instantly Killian wanted to know her, to shield her from anyone and anything that had hurt her, including this vile creature that had her cornered.

Speaking of him, Killian realized while he’d been distracted by the stranger’s beauty, the man had rushed towards her, intent on attacking. Killian moved to defend her but before he could, she had grabbed the other man by the arm, twisting it behind him and shoving him against the wall.

“Listen buddy,” she said in a frustrated voice, “I’ve already had a pretty shit day today, especially since it’s my birthday. I’m not in the mood to put up with someone like you. So here’s the deal. I’ll let you go and you run off somewhere else, got it?”

“Let me go, crazy bitch!” he yelled at her.

The woman let out a sigh before slamming the man’s head against the wall, letting him go as he dropped to the ground, knocked out cold. Killian stared at her in awe. She was like an avenging angel, all steel and fire, golden hair cascading down over her shoulders.

“That’s one way to shut you up,” she muttered. Turning her head suddenly, sensing another presence, she went back into defensive mode. “Look, I don’t want any more trouble. You saw what I did to him, don’t make me do it to you too.”

Raising his hands placidly, realizing that probably wasn’t the best way to calm her when he saw her eyes widen at his hook and lowering them again, he said, “Easy there, love, I’m not going to hurt you. I was just on my way to help but you obviously don’t need my assistance.” He took a step closer, making sure to look as non-threatening as possible. “Looks like you have everything under control here. Very impressive. Although I must say I’m disappointed I’m being deprived of a dashing rescue.”

Keeping a wary eye on him, her guard still up, she replied somewhat stiffly, “Sorry but the only one who saves me is me. Now who the hell are you?”

“Aw, yes, where are my manners?” he said as he bowed at the waist. “Captain Hook, at your service milady.”

She rolled her eyes at his antics. “Captain Hook? Seriously? Did you escape from your room at the hospital or something?” she asked snarkily.

Smirking at her, Killian said, “I assure you love, I’m quite sane. I’m the local superhero, defending Storybrooke from villains and whatnot.”

She raised her eyebrows at him but all she said was, “Not your love.”

“Well, if I knew your name, I wouldn’t have to call you love,” Killian prompted.

Eyeing him, the woman finally said after a long pause, “Swan. Emma Swan.”

_Swan_. It suited her; beautiful and graceful, but ready to attack and defend at a moment’s notice. “It’s a pleasure to meet you, Swan,” Killian said as he lowered his voice, holding his hand out to her. Hesitating for a moment, Emma held hers out in return and allowed him to take hold of it. Killian raised it to his lips, pressing a feather-light kiss to her knuckles, trying to not take pride in the way Emma’s eyelashes fluttered and her lips parted slightly, a faint blush spreading prettily over her cheeks. She quickly pulled her hand away, trying to appear unaffected.

“So, are you new to Storybrooke?” Killian questioned.

“No, just dropping someone off,” was all the explanation Emma offered. “I was just leaving.”

Killian raised his eyebrows, sensing there was more to the story but knowing she wouldn’t give anything more away. “Well then Swan, I’ll leave you to it. I should probably drop your friend off to the sheriff anyway,” he said, gesturing to the man she had knocked out.

Emma gave a brisk nod, before turning away and starting out the alley. She paused though, hesitating before turning back to face him. “Thanks. For trying to help me.”

“My pleasure, love.” She rolled her eyes at the term of endearment but she seemed more exasperated than angry. “And if you decide to stay in Storybrooke, I hope I’ll be able to make your acquaintance again.”

Emma looked at him for another moment before walking away, heading down the street. Killian stared after her before turning to the man on the ground. Reaching down to pick him up, Killian flew off into the night, unable to get the blonde goddess out of his mind.

*****

Emma drove out of Storybrooke in her little yellow bug, trying not to picture the disappointed look on Henry’s face when she walked away from his house. She’d just met the kid earlier that day, he shouldn’t be tugging on her heart strings already. But maybe that was part of being a mother though, even if you didn’t raise your kid; maybe they would always have a pull over you.

Emma had had a rough childhood, abandoned on the side of the road as a baby with just a blanket with her name on it, tossed around from foster home to foster home, never able to find anything of permanence. When she’d gotten pregnant at 17, she knew she wouldn’t be able to raise her child; she was living on the streets, with no money, no home, and certainly no one to help her out. Add in the fact that she’d been in jail and wouldn’t be out until after the baby was born, she knew that the best thing for the baby would be to put him up for adoption. Emma hadn’t even been able to hold him after she’d given birth, knowing she wouldn’t be able to let him go if she did. Clinging to the bed rails so she wouldn’t reach out, tears streaming down her face at his fading cries as he was taken away, Emma had felt her heart break into pieces that day. And now, her son had found her, travelled to her apartment in Boston to find the mother who had given him up. When he told Emma who he was, she hadn’t wanted to believe it but there was no denying it; she could see his father in the mischievous grin he would flash every once in awhile and his eye colour. She thought there had been a little bit of her in the shape of his eyes though and had taken comfort in the fact that she had contributed something to this little boy who was already working his way into her heart, no matter how much she fought it.

Emma shook her head, trying to rid those thoughts out of her mind. She had given Henry up for a reason and no matter what he said about his adoptive mother being evil and not loving him, he was better off without Emma. Henry deserved a stable life where he could be offered all the chances to succeed and Emma couldn’t give him that. Steeling her resolve, Emma continued driving out of Storybrooke, determined to put this behind her.

As she drove, Emma thought of the encounter she’d had earlier with Captain Hook (that was something she never thought she’d say). A superhero, in a town this small? What did he do, save kittens from trees all day? Emma couldn’t imagine Storybrooke being a hub for criminal activity, despite the man who had tried to attack her earlier this evening. Emma had to admit though, Hook had been handsome. She might have sworn off men and relationships years ago but she wasn’t blind and could easily see how attractive he was. His dark hair was set off nicely by all the black leather he wore (and how unfair was it that he could look that good in that much leather? Most men would look ridiculous but he somehow pulled it off), with dark stubble highlighting his strong jaw and impressive cheekbones. With about half his chest on display thanks to the deep V of his shirt, it offered a generous view of chest hair peeking out. The leather pants hugged his legs nicely, showing off his shapely thighs and calves. And his mouth… God, she wasn’t sure how she hadn’t stared at his perfect mouth the whole time they’d been talking. It had been his eyes though that had been the most captivating. The black mask he wore had done nothing to hide his startling blue eyes, reminding her of an ocean and the sky at the same time. There had been something in them though, an almost haunted look that Emma was all too familiar with, seeing it every time she looked in a mirror. Not wanting to dwell on it too much, Emma tried to focus on something else than the handsome hero who had tried to come to her rescue.

Glancing around, Emma noticed something on the seat beside her. Leaning over, she saw it was a large leather bound book with _Once Upon a Time_ emblazoned on the cover. Henry had had it with him, clutching it to his chest nearly the whole drive from Boston. When Emma had asked him about it, he’d explained that it was his favourite book, a collection of fairy tales with a modern twist (“Snow White was a bandit and met Prince Charming when she hit him over the head with a rock!” he’d told her excitedly). Right away, Emma knew Henry had left it behind on purpose, knowing he’d have to see Emma again to get his book back. “Smart kid,” Emma commented to herself, trying not to feel pride at her son’s resourcefulness.

(Ok, maybe there was a little bit of pride).

Suddenly, Emma saw something out of the corner of her eye. Looking up at the road, she gasped at the sight of the large grey wolf standing in the middle of the road. Slamming on the brakes, Emma cranked the wheel sharply to the left, trying to go around it. But with the rain soaked road, the bug started skidding to the other side, turning so it was facing the other way as it headed toward the town sign. As it smashed into the sign, Emma’s last thought was of Henry staring after her as she turned her back on him, disappointment all over his face, before everything went black.


	2. Chapter 2

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Apologies for the wait between updates, I do plan on updating weekly, I just forgot last week, lol.  
> This chapter is basically a rewrite of the pilot, with one major change.  
> Also, there are going to be scenes from canon in this story, so this is probably where I should mention that I don't own these characters, I'm just borrowing them :)

Emma opened her eyes and regretted it immediately, a headache quickly forming. She looked around, seeing the brick walls and the bars in front of her. Realizing she was in a jail cell, Emma tried to squash the panic rising up, blocking out images of her time in prison as a youth. The sound of someone whistling broke through her trip down memory lane, causing Emma to turn her head to the source.  There was a man in the cell beside her; short and stout, he had a grey beard and a balding head. When he saw Emma looking at him, he snapped, “What are you looking at sister?” Emma sat up, swinging her legs off the lumpy cot she must have slept on and standing up as another man (outside the cells, the lucky bastard) said, “Hey, Leroy, manners!” Eyeing him up, Emma saw he was an older gentleman with a white shock of hair and beard. He reminded her of the woodcarver from _Pinocchio_ for some reason; probably from hearing Henry talk about fairytales last night.

“So, you are Henry’s mother,” the man continued as he poured himself a cup of coffee, Emma looking longingly at it. “How nice for him to have you back in his life.”

Emma reached up to rub her forehead, trying to will the pounding headache away. “Actually, I was just dropping him off,” she replied, wishing she was back in Boston right now.

“Don’t blame ya,” said the man- Leroy- from the cell beside her. “They’re all brats, who needs ‘em.”

“Well, I’d give anything for one,” the older gentleman said passionately. Looking over at Emma, sadness making the lines of his face droop down, he said, “My wife and I, we tried for many years. But it was not meant to be.”

Emma felt a tug of sympathy for him. Just then, she heard a vaguely familiar voice say, “Leroy.” Looking up, she saw the sheriff that had been at the mayor’s place last night. Sandy blond hair, clean shaven, blue eyes, he was All-American, down to the plaid lumberjack shirt with the holster and leather jacket, sheriff’s badge pinned to his belt. “I’m going to let you go. You need to behave. Put on a smile and try to stay out of trouble.” Leroy gave the man a sarcastic smile before leaving the station, the older gentleman following behind him.

Emma approached the front of her cell, leaning down and placing her head between two bars before saying exasperatedly, “Seriously?”

The sheriff at least had the decency to look sheepish. “Sorry about this Miss Swan but when I found you last night, this seemed like the best place to take you.”

“And you didn’t think a hospital would have been a good choice? I could have had head trauma for all you knew.”

“Did you hit your head?” the sheriff asked her, concern lacing his voice. “I’m sorry, I just assumed you fell asleep at the wheel. I checked you over last night but couldn’t find a bump or any other sign you’d hit your head. Is it bothering you, I can take you to the hospital now if you’d like.”

“No, it’s fine,” Emma said. “I just want to get out of here.”

The sheriff reached for his keys, saying as he did, “Regina’s drinks must have been stronger than we thought.”

“I wasn’t drunk, there was a wolf standing in the middle of the road,” Emma explained.

“A wolf?” he questioned. “I’ve never seen one in Storybrooke before. I’ll head out later and check it out.” Emma felt relief knowing he believed her but it was short lived when a familiar voice shouted from down the hallway, “Sheriff Nolan!”

Sheriff Nolan (right, that was his name, Emma remembered) turned towards the door as the mayor walked in.

“Henry’s run away again, we have to-“ Regina started, cutting off when she saw Emma. “What is _she_ doing here? Do you know where he is?!” she exclaimed, rushing forward.

“Lady, I haven’t seen him since I dropped him off at your house,” Emma said, trying to not feel irritated that Regina assumed she’d had something to do with Henry missing, “and I’ve got a pretty good alibi.”

“Well he wasn’t in his room this morning,” Regina snarked back.

“Did you try his friends?” Emma asked, slipping into the role of bails person easily. She’d done this before, asking questions to find out where the scum bag skipping out on bail was hiding. Emma had always had a knack for finding people.

“He doesn’t really have any,” Regina said. “He’s kind of a loner.”

“Every kid has friends,” Emma replied quietly, trying not to think of herself as a kid, moving from city to city, state to state, never in one place long enough to bother making friends. When she’d given Henry up for adoption, she’d done it to prevent him from having the kind of life she’d had growing up but it looked like it hadn’t worked out very well. “Did you check his computer? If he was close to someone he’d be emailing them.”

“And you know this how?” Regina snapped, clearly looking at Emma as if she was wasting her time. Sheriff Nolan was moving his head back to back between them, looking like he was watching a tennis match.

“Finding people is what I do. So here’s an idea; how ‘bout you guys let me out and I’ll help you find him?”

*****

Twenty minutes later, Emma found herself in Henry’s room, trying not to stare too much at everything that could give her a clue as to who her son was. She wasn’t here for that; right now, Emma had to find him. Stroking a few keys on the keyboard, Emma brought up his email account.

“Smart kid,” she remarked to Regina and the sheriff. “He cleared his inbox. Luckily I’m smart too.” Emma pulled out her trusty little sidekick, explaining to the sheriff, “A little hardware recovery utility I like to use.”

“I’m a little more old fashioned in my techniques,” the sheriff quipped. “Pounding the pavement, knocking on doors, that sort of thing.”

“You’re on salary,” Emma remarked. “I get paid for delivery.” Watching the screen, she saw something interesting. “Huh, there’s a receipt for a website, _Who’s Your Momma.org_.” Emma raised her eyebrows at the amount displayed on the screen, turning to Regina as she said, “It’s expensive. He had a credit card?”

“He’s ten,” Regina scoffed, rolling her eyes.

“Well, he used one. Let’s pull up the transaction record,” Emma said as she clicked on the link. “Mary Margaret Blanchard.” She saw Regina stiffen out of the corner of her eye. “Who’s Mary Margaret Blanchard?”

“Henry’s teacher,” Regina said tightly, arms folded across her body, “and my stepsister.”

Emma could tell there was some story there but she didn’t want to get into it. “Well, we should go talk to her, see if she knew about this.”

“It’s almost lunchtime, we might be able to catch her on her break,” Sheriff Nolan said. Emma eyed him up. He sounded almost… _eager_ about seeing this woman.

“Sheriff Nolan, we need someone who can handle this professionally, not someone who is going to get moony-eyed over our source,” Regina said in a withering voice, causing the sheriff to go red, his mouth tightening. “Ms. Swan and I will go question her, you go back to your business.”

Emma gave the sheriff a sympathetic look. She had a feeling working for the mayor wasn’t an easy job.

“Are you coming Ms. Swan?” Regina asked impatiently, already halfway out the door. Emma gave a quick nod before following her out.

*****

Emma tried not to wince as Regina barreled her way through a bunch of ten year olds, nearly shoving them out of the way in the process. Following the mayor into a classroom, she saw a petite woman accepting a pear from a student. The woman, assumedly Mary Margaret Blanchard, had dark hair, nearly as black as ebony, cut into a stylish pixie cut that flattered her heart shaped face. Her makeup was very simple but it enhanced her natural beauty.  She was smiling at the student but when she saw the mayor it quickly disappeared and she seemed to draw into herself. “Regina, what are you doing here?” she questioned in a timid voice.

“Where’s my son?” Regina asked, disdain colouring her tone. Emma raised her eyebrows. Clearly there was some history between the two stepsisters.

“Henry? I assumed he was home sick with you,” Mary Margaret replied.

“Would I be here if he was?” Regina snapped. Nodding her head back to Emma, she said, “Did you give him your credit card so he could find her?” The disdain was back in her voice in full force.

Mary Margaret gave Emma a confused look. “I’m sorry, who are you?”

“I’m his…” Emma struggled to answer this simple question. She couldn’t really say mother, not when she’d just been dragged into his life. But what else could she say?

“The woman who gave him up for adoption,” Regina finished for her. Emma felt herself flush as Mary Margaret looked at her in surprise. Tilting her head in speculation, the schoolteacher reached for her purse and started rifling through.

“You don’t know anything about this, do you?” Emma asked.

“No, unfortunately not,” Mary Margaret replied as she opened her wallet to find her credit card missing. Shaking her head, she murmured, “Clever boy. I should have never given him that book.”

“What book are you talking about Ms. Blanchard?” Regina snapped.

“Just some old stories I gave him,” Mary Margaret hurriedly reassured the irate mayor. “As you well know, Henry is a special boy. So smart, so creative. And,” her tone changing, a shred of anger creeping in, “as you might be aware, lonely.” Mary Margaret put emphasis on the last word, giving the mayor a look that made it clear who she blamed for Henry being lonely. Emma felt a new sense of respect for this woman. Maybe she wasn’t as meek and mild as she had first appeared, if she was willing to stand up to Regina. “He needed it,” Mary Margaret finished.

“What he needs is a dose of reality,” Regina said, her condescending tone making Emma’s blood boil. This was how she spoke about her son? “This is a waste of time,” the mayor continued, turning away from her stepsister and taking care to knock down a pile of books on her way out. “Have a nice trip back to Boston,” she said to Emma, the dismissal clear in her voice.

Emma stared after her before turning to help Mary Margaret pick up the books from the floor. “Sorry to bother you like this,” she apologized.

“No, it’s okay,” Mary Margaret assured her. “I fear this is partially my fault.”

“How’s a book supposed to help him?” Emma questioned, curious as to why Mary Margaret had felt like a book of stories would help Henry.

Reaching out to take the books Emma offered, Mary Margaret replied, “Well what do you think stories are for? These stories, the classics? There’s a reason we all know them. They’re a way for us to deal with our world, even if it doesn’t always make sense. See, Henry hasn’t always had the easiest life.”

“Yeah, she’s kind of a hard ass,” Emma agreed as the two women left the classroom and walked out into the hallway.

“No, it’s more than her,” Mary Margaret said. “He’s like any adopted child. He wrestles with that most basic question they all inevitably face: Why would anyone give me away?”

Emma drew in a sharp intake of breath, recoiling as if she’d been slapped but the words hurt more than any physical wound could. Mary Margaret realized her mistake immediately, quick to apologize. “I am so sorry. I didn’t mean in any way to judge you.”

“It’s okay,” Emma whispered.

“Look, I gave the book to Henry so he could have the most important thing anyone can have,” Mary Margaret said passionately. “Hope.” Seeing Emma’s incredulous look, she said, “Believing in even the possibility of a happy ending is a very powerful thing.”

Emma eyed the schoolteacher. “You know where he is, don’t you?”

Leaning in, Mary Margaret said in a confidential tone, “You might want to check his castle. It’s down by the water, you can’t miss it. He goes there sometimes when he needs to be alone.”

“Thank you,” Emma said sincerely.

Mary Margaret smiled at her, and then looked at the clock. “I should probably go, I need to grab my lunch. But it was nice meeting you Emma. I hope you’ll stick around.”

Emma watched as she walked away, trying to not think about her parting words too much. She had a castle to find. But first, there was something she needed to grab.

*****

Emma found the castle easily enough, after asking someone which way to the water. Seeing Henry sitting on the wooden castle, she took a deep breath, clutching the item in her hands a little tighter, gathering her strength before walking over to him.

Taking a seat beside him, she handed over his book of fairy tales. “You left this in my car.” He took it from her without a word. “So, why’s this book so important to you?”

Henry shrugged. “I don’t know, I’ve always liked fairy tales. But this one was different; the stories weren’t what you thought they were.”

“Yeah, you mentioned that,” Emma said.

“And there’s the daughter of Snow White and Prince Charming,” Henry continued. “She’s born at the very end of the book, sent away to a different land to escape the curse. She’s the Saviour. And- her name is Emma,” he finished quietly.

“Oh,” Emma said, her voice just as quiet as his as the implication of his words hit her.

“I thought things would be better if I brought you here,” he finally admitted. “I thought… I thought you’d be like the Emma in my book, destined to bring back the happy endings.”

“I’m not some fairy tale character,” Emma said, trying and failing to keep the exasperation out of her voice.

“You don’t have to be hostile. I know you like me, I can tell,” Henry said. “You’re just pushing me away because I make you feel guilty.” Looking up at her Henry continued. “It’s okay. I know why you gave me away. You wanted to give me my best chance.”

Emma felt her heart clench, looking away to try to compose herself before she started crying. “How do you know that,” she said.

“It’s the same reason Snow White gave her daughter away,” Henry said, as if this made all the sense in the world. And maybe to him, it did.

“Listen to me kid,” Emma said. “I’m a real person. I’m no fairy tale character and I’m definitely not a Saviour. You were right about one thing though.” Emma looked down at him as she said, “I wanted you to have your best chance. And that’s not with me.” Emma felt her heart break a little, hating herself for hurting him. “C’mon, let’s go,” she said as she hopped down from the castle.

“Please don’t take me back there,” Henry pleaded, breaking Emma’s heart a little more. “Just stay with me for one week, that’s all I ask!”

“I have to get you back to your Mom,” Emma exclaimed, trying to keep her voice from breaking.

“You don’t know what it’s like with her. My life sucks!”

“Oh, you want to know what sucking is!” Emma exclaimed, feeling like a dam had been broken open. “Being abandoned on the side of a freeway, my parents didn’t even bother to drop me off at a hospital. I ended up in the foster system and I had a family until I was three but then they had their own kid so they sent me back.” Emma felt guilty about her outburst when she saw Henry had tears in his eyes, so she took a deep breath to compose herself. “Look, your Mom is trying her best,” Emma said as she bent down to Henry’s level. “I know it’s hard and I know sometimes you think she doesn’t love you but at least she wants you.” Emma waited until she saw Henry give a nod of understanding before she said, “C’mon Henry.” Walking back to her Bug, Emma gave a little start when Henry rushed up to take her hand in his. Looking down at their joined hands, his small one encased by her larger one, Emma felt her heart clench. How could someone be so loving and so forgiving? And would he be so forgiving if she left him again?

*****

Emma stood in the walkway leading towards the mansion Henry called home, watching on as he trudged towards Regina through the open door. Regina watched him as he entered the house, before turning to Emma. “Thank you,” she said grudgingly.

“No problem,” Emma said.

“He seems to have taken quite a shine to you.”

Emma let out a little laugh before admitting, “You know what’s kind of crazy? Yesterday was my birthday and when I blew out the candle on this cupcake I bought myself, I actually made a wish. That I didn’t have to be alone on my birthday; and then Henry showed up,” Emma shook her head, marveling at the miracle that was her son, finding her when she was lonely, bringing a light into her life that had been missing for a while.

“I hope there’s no misunderstanding here,” Regina said.

“I’m sorry?” Emma said, confused as to where Regina was going with this.

“Don’t mistake all this as invitation back into his life.” Emma opened her mouth to protest that that wasn’t what she had meant but Regina kept talking before she could. “You made a decision ten years ago, and the last decade while you’ve been doing… well, who knows what you’ve been doing,” Regina said, tone full of judgment, clearly having plenty of ideas what Emma had been up to, “I’ve changed every diaper, soothed every fever, endured every tantrum. You may have given birth to him but he is _my_ son.”

“I was not-“

“No,” Regina interrupted firmly. “You don’t get to speak. You don’t get to do anything! You gave up that right when you tossed him away.” Regina made her way down the step, getting into Emma ‘s face. “Do you know what a closed adoption is? It’s what you asked for. You have no legal right to Henry and you’re going to be held to that. So, I suggest you get in your car and you leave this town, because if you don’t I will destroy you, if it is the last thing I do. Goodbye Ms. Swan.” Regina turned on her heel, making it clear this conversation was over.

Emma glared after her. What was this woman’s problem? Emma had never made any indication that she was trying to take Henry away. Hell, she had been all too eager to leave when she’d first dropped him off but then she’d gotten to know him. Would she like to get to know him a little more? Of course she would; giving him up had been the hardest choice she’d ever made and it was like she had been given a second chance. But that didn’t mean she was trying to steal him away. Thinking back to what Henry had said to her earlier, Emma called after Regina, “Do you love him?”

Regina whirled around. “Excuse me?” she snapped.

“Henry,” Emma said. “Do you love him?” If Emma knew for sure that he wasn’t exaggerating, that Regina did love him, maybe she would feel better about leaving.

“Of course I love him,” Regina said. And with that, she entered the house and slammed the door shut.

Emma narrowed her eyes. She’d always been able to tell when people were lying, and while Regina wasn’t outright lying, there was something off about her answer. Looking up at the window Henry had been looking through last night, Emma made up her mind.

*****

Emma walked over the overgrown path leading up to the door of the only B&B in town, Granny’s. Pulling open the door with a squeak, Emma found herself walking into the middle of an argument.

“You’re out all night and now you’re going out again!” yelled the voice of an elderly woman.

“I should have moved to Boston,” a younger woman’s voice shouted back.

“Well, I’m sorry my heart attack interfered with your plans to sleep your way down the eastern seaboard,” the older woman snapped back. The two of them appeared at the bottom of a set of stairs. The younger woman was around Emma’s age, with dark brown hair streaked with red, bright red lipstick, a skin tight shirt and a skirt over dark pantyhose. The older woman was clearly her grandmother, based on their conversation. As the two of them turned away, Emma said, “Excuse me,” to get their attention. The older woman turned, looking surprised to see another person in the building. “I’d like a room?” Emma said, her statement sounding more like a question.

“Really?” the older woman-presumably Granny- sounded shocked at the idea someone wanted a room. Emma wondered how much business they got. “Would you like a forest view or a square view? Normally there’s an upgrade charge for the square view but as rent is due I’ll wave it.”

“Square is fine,” Emma said, not really caring one way or another what view her room had.

“Now,” Granny said as she opened up a large, dusty book, “what’s the name?”

“Swan. Emma Swan.”

“Emma,” came a male voice from behind her, making Emma startle a bit. She hadn’t realized anyone else was in the building besides herself and the other two women. Out of the corner of her eye, she saw Granny had a slightly fearful look on her face. Emma turned to look at the man.

He was an older gentleman, with shoulder length gray hair framing a thin face. He was wearing a suit, making it clear he was a powerful man, even with the cane he carried. He seemed harmless enough but Emma got a weird vibe from him. Maybe it was the look in his eyes; they had the flat, almost dead, look of a reptile. He reminded Emma of a crocodile, for some inexplicable reason. Even though she’d just met him, the man creeped her out.

“What a lovely name,” he said, giving Emma an appraising look.

“Thanks,” Emma said, trying not to flinch away. Hearing a drawer opening, she turned to Granny, who had pulled out a bundle of bills and handed it to the strange man. “It’s all there,” Granny said quickly, as if she was afraid he’d think she was trying to short change him.

“Yes, of course it is dear, thank you,” he said as he reached out to take the money. “You enjoy your stay, Emma,” he said before he turned away and left, the three women staring after him.

“Who’s that?” Emma asked.

“Mr. Gold,” the younger woman said as she pulled back the curtain to look out the window. “He owns this place.”

“The inn?” Emma was confused; why would it say Granny’s if he owned it?

“No, the town,” Granny explained.

Emma raised her eyebrows. So she was right that he was a powerful man then.

Shaking her head as if to clear her mind of the encounter, Granny said, “So, how long will you be staying with us?”

“A week. Just a week.” Emma hoped saying it twice might convince her it was true.

“Great,” Granny said as she turned and grabbed a room key, holding it out to Emma. “Welcome to Storybrooke.”


	3. Chapter 3

The next morning, Emma was going around her room at the inn when there was a knock at the door. Curious as to who would be looking for her this early, she pulled open the door, surprised to see Regina standing there with a basket of apples.

Regina skipped the hello, launching right in with “Did you know the honeycrisp tree is the most vigorous and hearty of all apple trees? It can survive temperatures as low as 40 below and keep growing. It can whether any storm.”

Emma tried not to roll her eyes. Subtlety was not Regina’s strong suit.

“I have one that I’ve tended to since I was a little girl,” Regina continued. “And to this day, I have yet to taste anything better than the fruit it offers.” Picking an apple from the basket, Regina handed it to Emma.

“Thanks,” Emma said as she gingerly took it from her.

“I’m sure you’ll enjoy them on your drive home,” Regina said, holding the basket out.

“Actually, I’m going to stay for a while,” Emma said, trying not to feel too satisfied as the fake smile slipped off Regina’s face.

“I’m not sure that’s such a good idea.” Regina’s voice sounded controlled but Emma could hear a barely suppressed hint of anger in it. “Henry has enough issues, he doesn’t need you confusing him.”

“All due respect Madam Mayor but the fact that you’ve now threatened me twice in the last twelve hours makes me want to stay more.”

“Since when were apples a threat?” Regina asked.

“I can read between the lines.” Emma said sweetly. “Sorry. I just want to make sure Henry’s okay.”

“He’s fine dear,” Regina said condescendingly. “Any problems he has are being taken care of.”

“What does that mean?” Emma asked skeptically.

“It means I have him in therapy,” Regina said. “It’s all under control. Take my advice Ms. Swan, only one of us wants what’s best for Henry.”

Emma bristled at Regina’s tone. “Yeah, I’m starting to think you’re right about that,” Emma said shortly.

Regina’s face tightened with anger as she understood Emma’s meaning. “It’s time for you to go,” she snapped.

“Or what?” Emma said, tilting her chin up and looking Regina in the eye, determined to show Regina she wasn’t afraid.

Regina took a step forward. “Don’t underestimate me Ms. Swan. You have no idea what I’m capable of.”

Emma stared after her as she turned and walked away.

*****

Killian entered Granny’s diner, the familiar bell chiming above him, as he headed to the counter. Ruby saw him, holding up a finger to indicate his order would be ready soon. Nodding his head in thanks, Killian looked around to diner, seeing all the familiar faces.

“Hi Killian,” said an excited voice from behind him. Turning, Killian smiled when he saw Henry Mills. Killian had taken a liking to the boy when he’d first moved to town. It had been in this very diner where they’d first met; Killian had been sitting by himself in a booth, feeling a little lost, when a young lad had placed himself into the seat across from him, introduced himself as Henry and asked who he was. The two had become fast friends. Killian supposed part of the reason he liked Henry was because he reminded him of himself; the two of them feeling like they didn’t belong, Henry because he was adopted, Killian because of his powers (not that anyone else knew about them). Even though he hadn’t had the easiest life though, Henry remained optimistic, something Killian admired.

“Hey Henry,” he greeted. “What’s up? Shouldn’t you be on the bus to go to school?”

“My mom dropped me off to wait for it, but there’s someone I want to see first. She’s going to walk me to school.”

“Ooh, a lass is it?” Killian teased. “Let me guess. Is it Grace you’ve turned your affections towards? Or perhaps it’s Violet?”

“Eww, gross!” Henry exclaimed. “It’s not like that Killian. I’m ten years old, I’m not ‘turning my affections’” (Henry imitated Killian’s accent as he parroted his own words back to him, making Killian smile) “towards anyone! My mom is going to walk me.”

“I thought you just said your mother dropped you off to go on the bus?” Killian asked, confused.

“She did but I mean my other mom,” Henry said, excitement shining out of him, nearly bouncing up and down with it. “I found my birth mother!”

Killian looked at Henry in shock. The lad had mentioned a few months ago that he wanted to try to find his birth parents when he was doing a family tree assignment for school but he’d never brought it up again, so Killian hadn’t either. He knew Henry sometimes struggled with who he was and where he came from like any adopted child but Killian had never imagined he’d actually be able to find his birth parents.

Henry’s smile dimmed a bit as Killian didn’t react right away. Not wanting to upset him, Killian quickly exclaimed, “That’s wonderful Henry! How’d you find her?”

Henry perked up again as Killian showed what he thought was an appropriate level of enthusiasm. “There was a website I found that could give you your mother’s contact information. Once I had that, I hopped on a bus to Boston and went to the address it gave me.”

“You went to Boston by yourself?” Killian asked incredulously. “Henry, that could have been dangerous! What if you had gotten lost in a city you don’t know?” Henry shrugged in response, not bothered by the idea. Sighing, Killian said, “Okay, so you found your birth mother in Boston and I assume she came back here to Storybrooke if she’s walking you to school.”

“She drove me home,” Henry explained. “She was just going to drop me off but I think I convinced her to stay for a week so I can get to know her.”

“What do you mean you think she’s staying?” Killian asked, concern colouring his voice. After everything he’d been through, Killian didn’t want to see Henry get hurt if his birth mother had skipped town.

“Well, I asked her to yesterday before she took me home and her car is outside Granny’s, so she must have stayed the night. Why else would she still be here if she wasn’t going to stick around a bit?” Suddenly, Henry’s face lit up with excitement as he spied something out of Killian’s line of vision. Waving his hand excitedly, he turned to Killian and said, “This is her coming towards us.”

Killian turned his head in the direction Henry had been looking, his jaw dropping when he saw the vision coming towards him.

It was the woman from the other night, the one from the alley. Emma Swan in all her glory, from her golden hair and emerald eyes, to the red leather jacket that hugged her curves just right and jeans and boots combo that did wonderful things for her legs. She slowly made her way towards them, giving her son a hesitant smile as she got closer.

“You’re still here,” Henry exclaimed as Emma came to stand beside them.

“Yeah, I figured I’d stay for a week,” Emma said to him. “It’s not like there’s anything waiting for me in Boston.” Her eyes darted to Killian for a brief moment but she quickly looked away when she saw him looking back.

“Henry,” Ruby called out from behind the counter. “I’ve got a fresh batch of cinnamon rolls coming out of the oven and I need someone to test them out. Think you’re up for it?” she asked with a knowing smile.

“Always!” Henry called back. Reaching for a takeout cup on the counter that had steam gently swirling out of the lid, he handed it to Emma. “I got you a hot cocoa with cinnamon, I hope that’s okay. I know a lot of people don’t get cinnamon but it’s how I’ve always taken it so I thought maybe you’d like it too?”

Looking at him with surprise, Emma took the offered drink and said, “Umm, yeah, that’s perfect actually. It’s how I drink it all the time.”

Henry smiled again, looking thrilled at having something in common with her, before rushing behind the counter to find Ruby.

Killian cleared his throat, causing Emma to move her gaze to him. “You must be Henry’s mother he was telling me about. I’m Killian Jones, I’m a friend of Henry’s.”

She eyed him, a shutter seeming to close over her as Henry walked away, her defenses going up. “Emma Swan,” she said, holding out her left hand as her right was holding the cocoa.

“Oh, umm…” he stuttered, staring at it as shame rose up in him. “Well love, I don’t know if you want to shake this,” he said, holding up his prosthetic covered in a black glove. “It looks real but it uh, doesn’t feel it.”

Emma stared at his hand for a moment before raising her gaze to meet his eyes, reaching out and taking his prosthetic in her hand to shake it. “It’s nice to meet you Killian,” she said, her defenses thawing for a moment as she gave him a small smile.

Killian could only look at her in awe as he shook her hand. Very few people accepted his prosthetic so quickly, Belle and Henry being the only exceptions. Most people either tried to avoid looking at it, as if that would make it go away, or they couldn’t stop staring at it. This woman was full of surprises. Feeling bolstered by her acceptance, he lifted her hand and pressed a fleeting kiss to her knuckles. Emma’s eyelashes fluttered for a moment, her mouth forming an “o” before shaking her head and pulling her hand away, eyeing him suspiciously.

“I’m sorry but have we met before?” Emma asked suddenly. “You seem awfully familiar.”

“No, I don’t believe we have. Trust me love, I’d remember meeting someone as beautiful as you,” he said in his most charming voice.

Emma’s eyes narrowed just a fraction. Wondering what he could have done, Killian was surprised when she leaned in closer to him. “I’m gonna let you in on a little secret,” she said in a low voice, making it clear he should listen. “I’m pretty good at knowing when someone is lying to me.”

Killian blinked a couple times before swallowing. How could he get out of this? It was clear she didn’t believe him, so there had to be some truth to her words.

“Well love,” he said slowly, trying to come up with something plausible, “perhaps I saw you in the street somewhere? But I can assure you that I, Killian Jones, haven’t formally met you before today.”

Her eyes narrowed a little bit more. “Still not the full story,” she said. As she turned to walk away, Killian reached out a grabbed her arm.

“Wait love,” he said pleadingly. “I promise you that if it is a half truth, there’s a good reason for it.”

Emma looked at him for a moment before her gaze softened, seeming to accept this answer. Killian let go of her arm, reaching up to scratch behind his ear.

“So, how do you know Henry?” she questioned.

Chuckling, Killian said, “It is a small-town love. It’s pretty hard not to know everybody around here. Besides, once you get to know him, it’s pretty hard not to enjoy being around Henry.”

Emma’s face seemed to tighten at his words before she looked wistfully towards the kitchen where Henry currently was. “Yeah, I guess it is,” she said quietly, voice full of regret.

Killian cursed himself for reminding her that she didn’t know her own son. “All I meant love was that everyone in Storybrooke is quite fond of Henry and we’d hate to see anything happen to him.”

 _That_ only made it worse, as Emma whirled on him with a glare. “Are you saying you think I’m going to hurt him?” she said harshly.

“No, I-“

“Because let me tell you something buddy,” she snapped. “Giving him up was the hardest thing I’ve ever had to do but it was the best thing for him. I was in no shape to take care of myself, let alone an infant. So how about instead of assuming I’m a terrible person for giving him up and am just going to disappoint him, think about how much I sacrificed and how much it broke my heart to give him away. And how determined I am to make it up to him.”

As Killian stood there, trying to find the words to explain what he meant, Henry reappeared, a cinnamon roll in hand. “I got you an extra one,” he said to Emma. “Want to walk me to school?”

“Yeah kid,” she said, taking a deep breath as she looked at Henry and managed a small smile. “Let’s go.”

“Bye Killian,” Henry shouted over his shoulder.

Managing a small wave at the lad, Killian stared dumbfounded as mother and son left the diner. Once the door closed, Killian groaned at just how much he had screwed that up. Hearing a laugh behind him, he turned to find Ruby wiping down the counters.

“Smooth, Jones,” she remarked. “I don’t think I’ve ever seen you that flustered around a woman before.”

“Sod off Ruby,” he muttered.

Laughing again, Ruby gave him a look. “You must really like that girl. Normally you can charm the pants off a girl just by giving her a look. Not that you ever do,” she scolded him.

Killian tried not to sigh in exasperation. Ever since he had moved to town, everyone had been quite interested in his status as a bachelor, specifically the women around his age. The options in Storybrooke were limited if you hadn’t settled down by a certain age, so he had spent the first few months fielding requests for a date, turning each of them down gently. Ruby had never asked him out, telling him while he was attractive and a good guy, he just wasn’t her type. Instead, she took every opportunity to harass him about his single status, trying to set him up on blind dates, insisting he could make someone very happy.

“Look, if you like this girl, try again,” Ruby continued. “Talk to her, get to know her. She won’t be able to resist once you turn on the charm.”

“How do you know?”

“Well,” Ruby said as she gave the counter one final wipe before resting her elbows, giving him a wide smile, “when she first came down here and saw you, she stopped in her tracks and stared. She might not be showing it but she’s just as affected as you are.”

Feeling a bit of hope, Killian smiled at his friend. “Thanks Red,” he said sincerely.

As Ruby went to get him his food, Killian felt a renewed sense of determination. He would find a way to make things right with Emma. And then hopefully, that’s when the fun would begin. Either way, he had a feeling things were about to get more interesting around Storybrooke.

*****

Emma left the diner with Henry, trying to ignore her anger. How dare he assume she was going to hurt Henry! That was the last thing she wanted to do. She had stayed in town to make sure Henry was okay and once she knew he was… okay, maybe she wasn’t sure what was going to happen. But that didn’t give Killian Jones any right to assume the worst of her!

Emma let out a frustrated sigh. She wasn’t really sure why she was so surprised that Killian had disappointed her. Hell, she wasn’t even sure why she was disappointed. But for a moment, Emma had felt some kind of connection between them. It didn’t hurt that he was extremely easy on the eyes, with dark hair and stubble framing his face, cheekbones that could put a model to shame and a strong jaw, all on top of a perfect body, with his button up shirt leaving just enough buttons undone to show off some chest hair. It had been his eyes though that drew her in, a bright blue that seemed to pierce your soul when they looked at you. There had been something else though, an almost haunted look in their depths.

Emma knew there was something familiar about the man. Her lie detector had gone off when he’d said he’d never met her before. But then he’d phrased it differently and it came out as a half truth. She didn’t know what to think of it but she knew he was telling the truth when he said there was a good reason behind it. Shaking her head, Emma was determined to put it behind her. It didn’t matter anymore, not now that he’d opened his big mouth. All she wanted to do was focus on Henry.

Turning to her son, she said, “So does your mom know I’m walking you to school?”

“Not exactly,” Henry admitted. “She was dropping me off to take the bus but then I saw your Bug out front. So, I waited till she was gone and went in to find you.”

“Kid,” Emma said gently, “I know your Mom can be kind of tough but it’ll just be worse if she thinks you’re lying to her.”

“She lies to me all the time,” Henry said sullenly. “Maybe it’s time I returned the favour.”

Emma blinked in surprise. Even though she’d known Henry only a few days, she’d never seen him like this before. He always seemed so optimistic.

“What do you mean she lies to you?” Emma questioned. “Kid, tell me the truth. Is everything okay at home?”

Gaze trained down on the ground, scuffing his shoe on the pavement, Henry muttered, “She’s evil.”

“Evil’s a bit strong, don’t you think?” Though not far off, Emma admitted to herself.

“You don’t get it,” Henry said. “My mom really is evil. She’s a villain.”

“I think everyone feels like that about their parents sometimes. I mean, not like I would really know but still…” Emma said.

Henry looked up at her, coming to a halt on the sidewalk. “No, I mean she’s really a villain. There’s two of them in town: Rumplestiltskin and The Evil Queen. They both have superpowers and they use them to do bad things.”

“Storybrooke doesn’t really seem like the type of town to have villains,” Emma said.

“It wasn’t, until about a year ago. The two of them showed up and started working together. No one knows what they’re working on but it can’t be good.”

“And let me guess,” Emma sighed, “you think your mom is one of them.”

“I know she is,” Henry insisted. “She’s The Evil Queen.”

As they continued walking down the street, Emma looked down at Henry. “How do you know Henry? Have you actually seen her as The Evil Queen?”

“No,” Henry admitted, “but there’s been times when she leaves the house late at night, when she thinks I’m sleeping. And sometimes when she’s on the phone, she acts really odd.”

“I don’t think that means she’s a super villain,” Emma said.

“I still think we should investigate,” Henry stated. “You find people for a living, so you can help! First, we need a name. I was thinking Operation Cobra.”

“That has nothing to do with villains,” Emma pointed out.

“Exactly,” Henry said, as if all of this made sense. “No one will know what we’re talking about!”

Sighing, Emma decided to play along. “All right, Operation Cobra it is.” Looking up, she saw the school in front of them. “Come on, let’s get you to class. If you’re mom finds out you’re late because of me, she’ll kill me.”

“Will I see you later?” Henry asked hesitantly.

Giving him a small smile, Emma said, “Yeah kid, I’ll see you later. We can talk about Operation Cobra more.”

A wide grin broke out on Henry’s face before he ran towards the school, pausing to wave at her before continuing in. As he did, he went by Mary Margaret, who was making her way towards Emma.

“It’s good to see his smile back,” Mary Margaret said happily.

“I didn’t do anything,” Emma said quickly, looking down at her shoes.

“You stayed,” Mary Margaret said, as if that was all it took to make Henry smile again. Emma tried to quell the rush of happiness at the thought that he wanted to be around her before focusing back on the teacher. “So does the mayor know you’re still here?”

“Oh, she knows,” Emma said, thinking of their confrontation that morning. “What is her deal? She’s not a great people person, how did she get elected?”

“No one’s ever been brave enough to run against her. She inspires quite a bit of… well, fear,” Mary Margaret acknowledged. “It’s why Henry thinks she’s The Evil Queen.”

“So The Evil Queen and Rumplestiltskin are real people in town?” Emma asked.

Nodding her head, the school teacher said, “Unfortunately so. They haven’t tried to take over the world yet but there are some rumours, some thefts around town and a few kidnappings. And then there was the incident with the sheriff.”

“You mean Sheriff Nolan?”

“Oh, no,” Mary Margaret said, a blush rising in her cheeks. “He only started about six months ago. There was a sheriff before him, Sheriff Graham. He went missing one night and when they found him… well, they found his body in the woods a few days later, his heart ripped out of his chest. All they found was a strand of gold, Rumplestiltskin’s signature.”

Emma felt a little nauseated at the thought. “His heart was ripped out of his chest?”

Nodding grimly, Mary Margaret said, “The Evil Queen in Henry’s book would rip out hearts and use them to control people. When Henry heard what happened to Graham, it made him even more convinced that she was a villain.” Looking up at the clock, Mary Margaret said, “Oh, I’m sorry but I have to run to class. It was nice seeing you again Emma.”

“You too,” Emma said. Before she could walk away though, Emma called after her. “Hey Mary Margaret? Is there a Captain Hook around here too?”

Pausing, Mary Margaret said, “Oh, you’ve heard of him too?”

“Kind of,” Emma hedged. “What’s his deal? Is he really a hero?”

Hesitating, Mary Margaret said, “Yes, I believe he is. There seems to be a dark edge to him but overall I think he has a good heart and wants to help us.”

Nodding her head, Emma said, “Thanks.”

Mary Margaret smiled one last time before turning and walking away, leaving Emma alone.

*****

Making her way up the stairs, Emma stopped in front of the door leading to Dr. Hopper’s office. Regina had said Henry was in therapy and as far as Emma could find, Hopper was the only therapist in town. Maybe he’d be able to give her a clue as to whether Regina really loved Henry or not. Knocking on the door, she heard a muffled voice say, “Come in,” and she opened the door.

Dr. Hopper was rising out of his seat, surprised to see her. “Oh, Emma Swan,” he said. “I was just reading about you.” He gestured to the paper sitting on his desk, where the story about her taking out the town sign was. “I guess you’re here for a little post traumatic stress? Don’t worry, the diagnosis is free,” he joked.

Emma gave a rueful laugh. “Actually, I’m here about Henry.” As Archie started to protest, Emma quickly cut him off. “I know there isn’t much you can tell me and I’m sorry, it’s just… Regina mentioned that he was in therapy. Is it because of his obsession with the fairy tale book? Because it’s crazy to be so obsessed with a book that you think it means your mother is a villain, right?”

“I hope you don’t talk that way in front of him,” Archie said. “The word crazy can be quite damaging. These stories, they’re Henry’s language when he doesn’t know how to express himself. He’s using it to help him deal with his problems.”

“Has he been coming to therapy before or after he got the book?” Emma questioned.

“Umm, well, yes, he has.”

“So it’s Regina,” Emma concluded.

Sighing, Archie said, “Regina is a complicated woman and over the years, her attempts to pull Henry closer have backfired.” Turning to his filing cabinet, Archie pulled out a file a handed it to Emma. “Why don’t you take a look at his file? He mentions you quite a bit. You’re very important to him. Maybe this will help you understand a bit better.”

Surprised, Emma took the folder. “Thank you,” she said, turning to leave.

“Just make sure you get it back to me soon,” Archie said. “And Emma?” Emma paused in the doorway, turning back to Archie. “Be careful how you handle Henry’s belief system. Destroying his imagination would be devastating.”

Nodding in understanding, Emma gave Archie a grateful smile before leaving the office.

*****

Archie felt the bile rise in the back of his throat as he reached for his phone and dialed the number. He hated being involved in this but he didn’t have much of a choice.

“Yes?” answered the voice from the other side of the line.

“You were right, she was just here,” Archie said.

“Did she take the file?” the mayor asked.

“Yes,” Archie admitted. “How, how did you know she was going to come here?”

“Because I’m the one who gave her the idea,” Regina replied. “Now, you know what to do Hopper.” And with a click, she was gone.


	4. Chapter 4

Emma was curled up on her bed at Granny’s, reading over Henry’s file, when there was a knock on the door. Confused as to who would be looking for her, Emma set down the page she’d been looking at. Striding over to the door, she opened it to reveal Sheriff Nolan on the other side with an uncomfortable look on his face.

“Sheriff,” Emma said. “If you’re concerned about the Do Not Disturb signs, don’t worry, I’ve left them alone,” she said drily.

“Actually, I’m here about Dr. Hopper. He said the two of you had a bit of an argument earlier?” David said, not meeting her eyes.

“No.” Where the hell had he gotten that idea?

“He said you came by earlier, demanded to see Henry’s file and when he refused, you went back later and stole them?” David said, still not meeting her gaze.

“He gave them to me,” Emma insisted.

“Unfortunately, he’s telling a different story,” David said, finally looking up at her. “Can I search your room or do I need to get a search warrant?”

Scoffing in disbelief, Emma stood back and gestured him into the room. For some reason, Archie was lying to David and Emma had a pretty good idea who was behind it. But why would Archie go along with what Regina said? She didn’t know Archie well but Emma had gotten the impression he was a decent enough guy. So why would he do this?

“Is this what you’re looking for?” she asked David. As David picked up part of the file, he didn’t look satisfied by finding what he had come looking for. Instead, he looked even more troubled than he had when he’d first arrived.

“I’m sorry Emma,” he sighed, “but I have to place you under arrest.” He pulled out his handcuffs as he spoke, gently taking Emma’s wrist in his hand as he snapped the cuffs in place.

“You know I’m being set up, don’t you?” Emma said.

“Let’s just figure it out at the station, okay?” David pleaded.

Trying to not huff in frustration, Emma nodded her head, figuring it would be easier to cooperate as she let David lead her out of the room.

*****

“You know the shrink is lying, right?” Emma asked, trying to not wince as the camera flashed while taking her mug shot.

David pulled out the first picture, saying, “Turn to the right please,” and taking another photo before answering her question. “I have my suspicions that he’s not telling the truth but unfortunately my hands are tied.”

“How?” Emma asked, turning to the left as David pointed again. “If you think he’s lying, why are you following through with it?”

“Because the mayor called to ask me if I was doing anything about it,” David said grimly, “and when I said I still had to investigate more, she made it clear that I should ‘do something about the menace to society right away.’ Her words, by the way,” he said.

“So I’m right and she did set him up to it,” Emma said. “She must have something on him, he’s terrified of her like everyone else in this town. Why doesn’t anyone stand up to her? If someone would call her out on her crap, it might stop her from doing it again.”

David sighed as he took out the last picture from the camera. “Regina can be quite intimidating when she wants to be. I’ve only been in town for six months but she’s made it pretty clear that she expects things done her way or I’m out of a job. She has her hands in almost everything in town, so most people are probably in the same boat as me.” David fiddled with the camera for a moment before looking up at Emma. “I do believe you Emma,” he said sincerely. “I don’t think you stole those files. But until I can prove it, I have to follow protocol.”

“Hey,” a new voice shouted, Emma and David looking to the door in unison. Henry came rushing through with Mary Margaret not far behind. Out of the corner of her eye, Emma saw David perk up considerably when he saw the schoolteacher.

“Henry,” David said without taking his eyes off Mary Margaret, “what are you doing here?”

“Regina told him what happened,” Mary Margaret explained.

“Right, right,” David said distractedly. “Uh, I don’t think we’ve officially met. I’m David Nolan.” He held out his hand, giving Mary Margaret his most charming smile. She took his hand slowly, her eyes not leaving his.

“Mary Margaret Blanchard,” she said. “I wish our first meeting could have been under better circumstances.”

“Me too,” David said, a slightly dazed look on his face.

Emma cleared her throat, startling the other two adults, both of them blushing a bit as they pulled their hands away.

“Okay,” Emma said, turning to Henry, “I don’t know what your mother said but I did not steal those files.”

“I know,” Henry said. “You’re a genius!”

Confused, Emma said, “Wait, what?”

“I know what you were doing,” Henry said in a conspiring voice. “You were gathering intel for Operation Cobra!”

“I’m sorry, what?” David asked.

“Sorry Sheriff but it’s a need to know basis,” Henry said. “Right now, all you need to know is that Ms. Blanchard is going to bail her out.”

Emma looked at the other woman in shock. “You are? Why?”

“I, uh, trust you,” Mary Margaret said.

Emma kept staring at her. Mary Margaret was willing to bail her out, even though she barely knew her, because she trusted her? If the situations had been reversed, Emma knew she wouldn’t have done it for a complete stranger.

“Good enough for me,” David said with a smile as he took out a set of keys, gesturing for Emma to hold her hands up. “I’ll look into it, see if there’s any video footage from the area.”

“Thank you,” Emma said, rubbing at her wrists once the cuffs were off. Turning to Mary Margaret, she said, “And thanks, for bailing me out. I promise to pay you back the money.”

“Sure, whenever you get a chance,” Mary Margaret said.

Nodding her head, Emma said, “Now, do you know if there’s a place around here I can rent some tools? There’s something I need to do.”

*****

Emma seethed as she stomped to her Bug, tossing the few possessions she had with her into the back seat and slamming the door shut. After leaving the station, she’d gone to the mayor’s office and proceeded to chop off part of her precious tree with a rented chainsaw. Emma had felt a certain amount of satisfaction as she ran the saw through the limb, woodchips flying around until the limb finally crashed to the ground. It had been nothing compared to seeing Regina come storming out of her office though, covering a surprising amount of ground in a short period of time with heels on. Emma had proceeded to tell Regina off for the shoddy frame job and that she’d have to do better than that to scare Emma off. As Emma had walked away, she’d fired one last parting shot over her shoulder: “You’re move.”

Well, Regina had certainly made her move: getting her kicked out of Granny’s by reminding the older lady of the no felon policy the B&B had. Granny had seemed sympathetic when she’d told Emma but she wasn’t about to stand up to the mayor. Now where was she supposed to stay? There were no other motels in town and Emma didn’t know anyone well enough to crash for the night while she figured something else out. Sighing, Emma leaned back against the head rest. She’d have to stay in the Bug for a few nights until she could find another place to stay.

A knock on the window caused Emma to jump, startling her out of her depressing thoughts. Turning, she saw Henry staring in her passenger window, giving her a small smile and wave. Emma returned his smile as he opened the door and made himself comfortable in the seat.

“Sorry, I didn’t mean to scare you,” he apologized. “I didn’t think you had seen me so I wanted to let you know I was there.”

“It’s no problem kid,” she assured him. “What’s up?”

Henry was quiet for a moment before saying, “Why are you in your Bug? Are you going somewhere?” He wouldn’t meet her eyes as he spoke, looking down as he wrung his hands together.

Emma felt her heart clench at the thought of Henry being afraid she was going to leave. “Hey,” she said, reaching out to take his hands in hers so he’d meet her gaze, giving him a reassuring smile when he did. “I was just going to go for a drive around town and see what there is here. That’s it.” It wasn’t exactly the truth but she didn’t want to tell Henry what Regina had done. Besides, it was really only half a lie; Emma had been thinking of going for a quick drive to see if there were any other motels she had missed.

Henry smiled back. “Will you be around Saturday?” he asked.

“Uh, yeah, why?”

“Well, Belle has a program at the library on Saturday’s for kids and I usually go,” he said excitedly. “I was wondering if you wanted to go with me?”

“Sure thing kid,” Emma said, pleased that he wanted to spend time with her. “Sounds fun.”

“Awesome!” Henry exclaimed. “You know, if you want to see what’s in town, I could show you. I have a bit of time before my other mom expects me home.”

Nodding her head, Emma turned the key in the ignition and put the Bug in gear. “Sounds like a plan to me,” she said as she drove away from the curb, Henry already chattering away about the town attractions.

*****

Killian sipped his coffee Saturday morning as he stood behind the circulation desk at the library, looking over the morning paper. He’d started helping Belle out at the library Saturday mornings when she’d mentioned it was difficult to run the children’s program and help the other patrons as well, so he’d volunteered to be behind the desk and help the adults while Belle was with the children. In addition to the after school program she ran, Belle also offered a program Saturday mornings for an hour or so, letting parents drop their children off and either enjoy some time to themselves or run a few errands while Belle entertained the kids. Some days they did arts and crafts, other days she helped the kids check out books and they all read in the cozy corner she had set up, filled with couches and chairs perfect to curl up in and enjoy a good book. Almost every week, there was a read aloud of some kind, all of the kids eagerly gathering around while Belle read from a book that kids of all ages would enjoy. Everyone loved it, no one more so than Belle. She had a knack with children and they responded well to her.

The front door opened and Killian smiled when Henry walked in. The lad was a regular on Saturday mornings. Killian had never met someone so bright and inquisitive at such a young age, more likely to be found with a book in his hand than a video game like most boys his age.

The smile slipped off Killian’s face when he saw who followed Henry in. The beautiful but guarded Emma Swan, in her usual uniform of boots and red leather jacket. Killian hadn’t seen her since their fight in Granny’s, when she’d gotten so upset with him. He’d wanted to apologize and explain himself to her but hadn’t had the chance.

“Hi Killian!” Henry exclaimed as he approached the desk, Emma not far behind.

“Hello lad,” Killian greeted, smiling at the boy’s enthusiasm. “I was beginning to wonder if you were going to show up today. You’re normally here much earlier than this.”

“Emma and I got breakfast before coming here,” Henry explained. Turning to Emma, he said, “Most parents drop their kids off and go somewhere but you could look around and see if there’s any book you want to borrow, if you want.”

Smiling, Emma said, “I’ll probably just hang out around here kid.”

Henry turned to run off, saying, “See you in a bit,” before running over to Belle, who greeted him with a warm smile as he joined the rest of the group.

There was a tense silence after Henry’s departure, Emma looking decidedly uncomfortable. Killian decided he might as well take his chance to make amends. “I’m glad you’re here Swan. I’ve been meaning to talk to you all week.”

“What about,” Emma said shortly, clearly not forgetting their last conversation.

“I wanted to apologize,” Killian explained. Emma looked at him in surprise as he continued. “I never meant to imply you would hurt Henry or that you were a bad person for giving him up. All I meant by my words was exactly what I said; everyone in this town cares about your boy,” (Emma’s features softened a bit when he said “Your boy,” giving Killian hope that he would be forgiven) “but that doesn’t mean I don’t think you do as well or that you plan on hurting him. In fact, I think it’s wonderful that you and Henry found each other. It’s been awhile since I’ve seen Henry so happy and that’s all because of you love.”

Emma stared at him for another moment before her shoulders slumped, the tension leaving her body. “Thank you,” she said quietly. “I appreciate it. And I should probably apologize too… I might have over reacted a bit. I guess it’s kind of a sensitive issue and Regina had already implied I didn’t have a place in Henry’s life.”

“Hmm, yes, the mayor is good at finding our weak spots and exploiting it,” Killian agreed.

Emma offered him a small smile. “Maybe we could start over again?” She held out her hand as she said, “Hi, I’m Emma Swan.”

Killian took her hand in his own, murmuring, “It’s a pleasure to meet you love,” before placing a kiss on her knuckles. Emma’s eyelashes fluttered against her cheeks, a slight blush staining her cheeks, before a speculative look appeared on a face. Killian cursed himself internally. She was already suspicious of him and here he’d gone and greeted her almost the exact same way he had as Hook that first night in the alley.

“You know, you don’t meet a lot of people who do that,” she wondered aloud. “Are you from the eighteenth century or something?”

Sighing in relief that she didn’t seem to be on to him, Killian replied cheekily, “I suppose I’m just a gentleman love.”

Rolling her eyes, Emma’s gaze fell on something on the counter. “What’s this,” she asked as she reached out to pick it up. When Killian saw what it was, he blushed, reaching up to scratch behind his ear.

“Oh that,” he said. “That’s just, um, a Superman comic.”

As she flipped through it, Emma remarked, “I never would have pegged you for a closet comic book nerd.”

“How do you know it isn’t the library’s copy?” he asked in an indignant voice (even if she was right).

Rolling her eyes, Emma said, “It’s in good shape- too good to be a library copy. If it was the library’s, there’d be a lot more wear and tear to it. But the pages feel well worn, like someone has read it over and over. Besides, there’s no call number.”

“Oh, right,” Killian muttered. Sighing in defeat, he admitted, “All right, it’s mine. I might enjoy reading comic books in my spare time, occasionally.”

Emma surprised Killian by not laughing at him. Instead, she flipped through the pages again before asking, “Do you read anything besides Superman?”

“Aye, I read quite a bit of Batman,” he said. “Are you a closet comic book nerd too love?”

“Not really,” Emma said with a shrug. “I mean, I read a few when I was younger but I wasn’t obsessed with them.” As she set the comic back down on the counter, she asked, “Why do you like reading those two?”

 _Because they remind me the most of myself._ Yeah, Killian wasn’t going to tell her that he related to Superman’s powers and Batman’s status as antihero. Shrugging, Killian said, “I don’t know, I suppose they were popular when I started reading comics.” As Emma’s eyes narrowed, Killian remembered her superpower and was quick to add on a partial truth. “Besides, I suppose I could relate to their back stories a bit.”

Emma relaxed a bit once he told the truth. “Yeah, I get that. I could relate to them a bit growing up.” She snapped her mouth shut as soon as the words left her mouth, clearly not meaning to reveal that. Not meeting his gaze, she turned to look at Henry before turning back to Killian. “So, what’s up with Regina?” she said quickly, eager to change the subject. “Why is she so possessive of Henry?”

Wanting to know what Emma meant by relating to the comic book heroes (wanting to know more about _her_ ) but not wanting to push her, Killian shrugged in response. “I’ve only been in town a year, so I don’t know the whole story but I’ve heard a few things.” Emma gazed at him imploringly, leading him to continue. “Regina’s father died about 10, 11 years ago. Heart attack, I think. He was the only family she had left; her mother had already passed away and she’d never really gotten along with her stepsister.”

“Mary Margaret,” Emma supplied.

“Aye,” Killian said. “Anyway, not long after her father died, Regina started looking into adopting a child. Mr. Gold helped her speed through the legal process and not long after she found your boy. She took him home and named him after her father, Henry Sr.”

“Wait a sec,” Emma said, disbelief in her tone. “Regina named him after her father, who had just passed away?”

“She did,” Killian confirmed. “A few townspeople speculated that Regina was trying to fill a hole in her heart. She didn’t have anybody else, so what better way to find love than adopting a child who would love her unconditionally?”

Emma folded her arms across her chest, seeming to shrink into herself a bit. “That’s kind of twisted,” she whispered, more to herself than Killian.

“For what it’s worth,” Killian said, “I think she does love Henry. Her motives for adopting him might have been a bit twisted, as you said, but she does care about him.”

Emma was quiet for a moment, lost in thought as she took in what Killian had told her. Wanting to change the subject, Killian asked her, “How long are you staying in town?”

“Haven’t really decided yet,” Emma confessed. “I was going to stay at least a week but I think I might stay a bit longer.”

“Hmm, you don’t want to abandon him the way you were abandoned?” Killian had suspected it when he’d first met Emma but she confirmed it when she went stock still, eyes widening in shock as she looked at him.

“How could you know that?” Emma asked.

“You’re something of an open book, love. Besides, I’ve spent my fair share of time with orphans. They all share the same look in their eyes, the look you get when you’ve been left alone.”

“Yeah well, it was a long time ago,” Emma muttered.

“But an orphan’s an orphan,” Killian countered, knowing all too well the pain of being abandoned. “Love has been all too rare in your life, hasn’t it?” Eyeing her, he asked, “Have you ever even been in love?”

Emma lifted her gaze from the floor with a steely look. “No,” she said firmly, “I have never been in love.”

Lie, Killian thought to himself. She was being too defensive and she had closed herself off since the conversation turned to the more personal. Before he could call her on it, Emma said, “I think I’m going to take a walk around, see what the library has to offer. I have a feeling I’ll be spending a lot of time here. See you around, Killian.” And before Killian could say anything, she was gone. Killian watched her go with a small smile. The conversation might have come to an abrupt end but there was something intriguing about Emma Swan and Killian wanted to get to know her better. Her walls might prove a challenge but he was nothing if not a patient man.

Yes, he mused as someone came to the desk to check out a book, he had a feeling things were going to be a lot more interesting around Storybrooke with the presence of Emma Swan.

*****

Emma shone a flashlight on the classified ads in the newspaper, not wanting to drain the Bug’s battery by turning on the interior light. She hadn’t been able to find any other motels in town, so now she was looking for apartment listings. But had she really wanted to look for a motel in the first place? That signified that this was temporary, that she was just passing through. But Emma could admit to herself that she wanted to be a more permanent fixture in Henry’s life, Regina be damned. There was no way Emma was going to leave Henry behind again, not after she’d gotten to know him.

As Emma continued scanning for apartment listings, she thought back to earlier that afternoon at the library when she’d been talking to Killian. He’d been easy to talk to, a combination of charm and sincerity that made Emma want to trust him despite her walls rearing their head, reminding her of all the times she’d been burned before. He’d been able to read her like no one ever had before. Of course, that had led to him getting a little too close to the truth for Emma, causing her walls to slam up and her to run away. Still, there was something about Killian that made Emma want to know more about him.

Emma was shaken by a voice outside her open window saying, “Hey.” Emma looked up to find Mary Margaret looking at her in concern. “You ok?” she asked.

“Oh,” Emma said as she set the flashlight and newspaper down, “in the world of tight spots I’ve been in, crashing in my car doesn’t even rank in the top ten.”

“You’re sleeping here?” Mary Margaret asked incredulously.

“Till I find a place,” Emma said.

A pleased smile broke out over Mary Margaret’s place. “So you decided to stay,” she said, “for Henry.”

“Yeah, I guess,” Emma replied as she opened the car door and stepped out into the cool night air, trying to not shiver at the drop in temperature. “This town doesn’t seem to have many vacancies. None, actually,” she admitted as the sound of her car door shutting echoed through the quiet. “So, why are you out so late?”

A wry look passed over Mary Margaret’s face. “Well, I’m a teacher, not a nun. I had a date,” she confessed with a shrug of her shoulders.

“From the looks of things, it went well?” Emma asked, reading the other woman’s defeated body language: the slump of the shoulders, the crossed arms, and the sad, wistful look on her face.

“As well as they ever do,” she murmured.

“Tell me he at least paid,” Emma said, wincing when Mary Margaret shook her head.

“Well,” Mary Margaret said after a pause, “I guess if true love was easy, we’d all have it.”

Emma felt a pang of sympathy for the other woman. While Emma herself wasn’t looking for love, it was obvious that Mary Margaret was a romantic at heart and wanted that happy ending all the fairy tales promised. Even though Emma had just met her, she thought Mary Margaret was a sweet person who deserved that kind of love.

“You know, if things get… cramped,” Mary Margaret continued, nodding towards the Bug, “I do have a spare room.” She gave Emma an earnest smile.

Emma acted instinctively, not really pausing to think about it. “Thanks, but I’m not really the roommate type. It’s just not my thing,” she rushed to explain. “I do better on my own.”

Nodding her head in understanding, Mary Margaret said, “Well, good night. And good luck with Henry.” With that, she started walking away.

Emma stared after her as she left. Would it be the worst thing in the world to take Mary Margaret’s offer? Sure, Emma had been let down by people in the past but so far Mary Margaret had been nothing but kind since Emma had arrived to town. And it would only be temporary.

“Hey Mary Margaret,” she called out. The other woman paused and turned around to look at Emma. “Maybe I will take you up on your offer. At least until I find something of my own.”

Mary Margaret smiled, not seeming surprised by Emma’s acceptance. “Of course,” she said. “Come on, let’s get your stuff up.”


	5. Chapter 5

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Apologies for the delay in posting, I got a new puppy recently and he's been taking up quite a bit of my time :) Hoping to get back to posting on Wednesdays next week.

Emma sat at the kitchen table in Mary Margaret’s kitchen, taking a sip of the hot cocoa Mary Margaret had prepared once they’d delivered Emma’s meager belongings to the upstairs bedroom. When the familiar sweet and spicy taste hit her tongue, Emma looked in her mug. “Cinnamon?”

“Oh, I’m sorry,” Mary Margaret apologized. “It’s a little quirk of mine. I should have checked first, I know it’s not to everyone’s taste.”

“No, it’s fine,” Emma assured her. “It’s how I drink mine all the time.” Taking another sip, Emma gave Mary Margaret a grateful look. “Thanks again for letting me stay here.”

“Oh, it’s no trouble,” Mary Margaret said. “I’ve been thinking of renting that space out for a while now. It seemed like a waste, having it just sitting up there. Besides, it will be good for Henry to have you around.”

Emma wrapped her hands around her mug, the warmth seeping into her hands. Hesitantly, she said, “Can I ask you something?” At Mary Margaret’s nod, Emma continued. “Regina mentioned that you two are stepsisters?”

“We are,” Mary Margaret said. “Our parents married when I was around ten.”

“So, has she always been like this?” Emma asked. “So… unpleasant?”

Mary Margaret chuckled. “That’s the diplomatic way of putting it,” she said. “And no, she hasn’t always been like this. When we first met, she was actually very kind.” There was a wistful look on Mary Margaret’s face as she reminisced.

“Were the two of you close?” Emma had a feeling she knew the answer.

“We were at one point,” Mary Margaret said, confirming Emma’s suspicion.

“What happened?” Emma asked.

Mary Margaret took a sip of her cocoa before answering. “Well, to answer that, I suppose I have to start at the beginning. Growing up, my father was the mayor of the town. I grew up in the same house Henry lives in now.”

Emma raised her eyebrows in surprise. “Really?”

Nodding her head, Mary Margaret continued. “My father and mother ran the town. They were always fair and loved by everyone. I was their little princess. I admit I was probably a bit spoiled at times but they were always sure to remind me that just because I was better off than others didn’t make me a better person. We loved each other and were happy. But when I was 9, my mother became sick. The doctors couldn’t figure out what was wrong and she passed away not long after.”

Emma felt another flash of sympathy. She’d never had parents but she imagined it would be awful losing one, especially one you so clearly loved and admired as Mary Margaret did. “I’m sorry,” she murmured.

Mary Margaret gave her a small smile. “It was a long time ago. Anyway, not long after she passed away, my father and I decided to go horseback riding one day. As we were out riding, my horse spooked and took off running. I lost my grip on the reins and couldn’t control him. I remember being so scared, thinking I was going to die. Then all of a sudden, another horse came up beside me and the person riding him pulled me onto their horse. It was Regina… she saved my life that day. In gratitude, my father invited Regina and her mother Cora to dinner at our place. Six months later, my father and Cora were engaged and married soon after that.”

Emma let out a low whistle. “That didn’t take long.”

“No, it didn’t. To be honest, it was more a marriage of convenience then love. I didn’t know Cora well at the time-she and Regina had just moved to town after Regina’s parents divorced- but now I know she was power hungry. If she saw an opportunity to further her status, she took it. As for my father, I think part of him wanted to give me a mother but another part of him saw how well Regina and I got along and wanted to give me a big sister as well.

“For awhile, things were okay. I mean, I never saw my father and Cora together that often but I didn’t think much of it. I was too happy having a big sister that I looked up to. She was always so kind to me, even though there was 8 years between us.”

“What happened?” Emma asked, sensing this was where things went wrong.

Mary Margaret sighed. “Our parents had been married for about six months and Regina was about to graduate high school. Cora wanted her to go to an Ivy League school-she was just as obsessed with her daughter gaining power as she was herself. But Regina didn’t seem too eager about it. She never said anything but I could tell it wasn’t what Regina wanted.

“One night, I was looking for Regina and checked the stables, where she’d started spending most of her free time. I assumed it was because she was visiting her horse but when I walked in I found her kissing one of the stable boys. It turned out Regina had been seeing Daniel secretly for a few months but she hadn’t told anyone because she knew her mother wouldn’t approve. Daniel wasn’t from the type of family Cora would find acceptable and he hadn’t gone to college after graduating high school, so in Cora’s eyes he wasn’t good enough for her daughter. They were planning to run away together once Regina graduated to start their own life. Regina had me promise not to tell anyone-she was afraid of what Cora would do if she found out. I agreed to keep her secret.”

“But then someone found out?” Emma guessed.

“No,” Mary Margaret said sadly. “I broke my promise. Cora asked me if I knew what was going on with Regina. She said she didn’t want to lose her daughter and that she just wanted her to be happy. I thought she was sincere and I remembered how painful it was when I lost my mother. I didn’t want Regina to go through that, so I told Cora about Daniel.”

“Sounds like Cora was a piece of work,” Emma remarked.

Mary Margaret hummed in agreement. “Now, the rest of the story is just what I heard. But I guess the night Regina and Daniel planned to run away, Cora was waiting in the stable when Daniel got there and confronted him before Regina arrived. Told him he wasn’t good enough for Regina and if he wanted what was best for her, he should let her go. When Regina went to meet him, he told her about his conversation with Cora and that Cora was right. He thought Regina deserved better than a poor stable hand with no future plans. Daniel broke up with Regina but promised he would work hard to make a future for himself so they could be together.”

“That’s awful,” Emma said, feeling a bit of sympathy for the mayor.

“It gets worse,” Mary Margaret said grimly. “When he left the stable, it was raining. As he was driving home, the rain got worse and it was dark out. He skidded, lost control and crashed his car. The authorities said he was killed on impact.”

“Oh my god,” Emma murmured.

“Yeah,” Mary Margaret sighed. “When Regina found out I told Cora about her and Daniel, she was furious. She lost the love of her life and she blamed me for it. I didn’t see much of her that summer and then when the fall came, she went off to the school Cora wanted. The next time I saw Regina, she was so different. She was darker, crueler, nothing like the girl I first met. She never forgave me.”

“You know it wasn’t your fault, right?”

“I know that now,” Mary Margaret said as she sipped her cocoa, “but I admit at first I felt a bit guilty. I always wondered what would have happened if I had just kept Regina’s secret.”

“From the sounds of it, I think Cora would have found out another way,” Emma said.

“Maybe,” Mary Margaret allowed. Looking at the clock, she said, “Oh, I didn’t realize how late it was! I should get to bed. If you need anything, let me know.”

“Thanks Mary Margaret,” Emma said. “Good night.” Placing their mugs in the sink, Emma yawned and stretched. She hadn’t realized how tired she was; it had been a long few days. Making her way up the stairs, Emma paused for a moment and looked around the loft, only turning back to her room when Mary Margaret turned out the light, throwing the room into darkness.

*****

A few days later, Emma was sitting at the table again, looking through the classifieds, when there was a knock at the door. Curious as to who it could be, as anyone who knew Mary Margaret should know she was at work, Emma rose out of her chair and opened the door to find David Nolan on the other side.

“David,” she said in surprise. “If you’re looking for Mary Margaret, she’s not here.”

“Actually, I was looking for you,” he said.

“How’d you know I was here?” she asked.

Shrugging, he said, “One of the downsides of a small town is everyone knows everything that goes on, whether you want them to or not.”

Rolling her eyes, Emma said, “Okay, how can I help you then?”

“Dr. Archie Hopper has gone missing and-“

“Oh, come on!” Emma exclaimed as she interrupted him. “Do you honestly think I had something to do with it? You just cleared me the other day for stealing the file!”

“Actually, I don’t think you had anything to do with it,” David said with a smirk and a raised eyebrow.

“Oh,” Emma muttered sheepishly. “Okay, so why are you telling me this?”

“You were a bail bonds person, right?” At Emma’s nod, David continued. “I was thinking maybe you could give me a hand? I’ve been looking into it since last night and could use a fresh set of eyes. Your skills could come in handy.”

“All right,” Emma said. “What do you need me to do?”

*****

Down at the sheriff’s station, Emma watched as David pulled up security footage from the camera across from Archie’s office. “So when was Archie first reported missing?”

“His friend Marco called yesterday evening. He and Archie were supposed to get dinner together last night. Marco didn’t hear from Archie all day but since they do this every week, he didn’t think much of it. But then Archie didn’t show, so Marco got worried.”

“Why would Marco be worried? Who would go after a small town therapist?”

“Well, Archie is more than a therapist,” David said as he fiddled with some buttons. “Apparently he’s done some research on the brain in the past as well. Marco doesn’t know a lot about Archie’s work but he’s afraid someone would want Archie for his research.”

“Like the Evil Queen and Rumplestiltskin?” Emma asked as she took a seat.

“Exactly,” David said as he sat beside her. “Okay, this is last night when Archie left work. This was around 5:00 pm and he was supposed to meet Marco right after work but he never showed. So somewhere between his office and Granny’s diner, Archie disappeared. I checked his home and there doesn’t appear to be a struggle there, so I don’t think he stopped at home and was abducted there. But someone would have seen something if he was taken off the street.” Rubbing his hand over his face, David slumped back. “I have no idea what could have happened.”

Looking closely at the tape, Emma said, “When did you say this video was taken?”

“Around 5:00 pm yesterday.”

Shaking her head, Emma said, “I don’t think so. Look at the shadows. If it was 5:00, the sun would be in front of him and his shadow would be stretching farther back behind him. But the shadow is too short. It looks more like lunch time.”

Leaning in towards the screen, David’s eyes widened. “You’re right. This must be the wrong tape. But then where’s the real tape?”

Emma watched as David played around with the machine for a few minutes before a new image came up. “This looks like the morning,” she said, noticing the shadows. The pair watched as Archie approached his office. Suddenly, two men wearing masks appeared from a nearby alley, grabbing Archie and placing a cloth bag over his head before forcing him into a waiting van.

“Looks like Marco was right,” Emma said grimly. “Archie was kidnapped.”

“And not just by anyone,” David said grimly. “Those are the Evil Queen’s Black Knights.”

Emma rose her eyebrows as she looked at David. “Umm… excuse me?”

“The Black Knights,” David explained. “They do some of the Evil Queen’s dirty work. You know, stealing, kidnapping, that sort of thing. Some of them work for her because they’re blackmailed into it but others just like causing chaos.”

“So if they’re kidnapping Archie,” Emma said slowly, “that means the Evil Queen wants him for some reason.”

“Exactly. And whatever it is can’t be good.” David pushed a few more buttons until a time stamp appeared in the bottom corner of the screen. “This was early yesterday morning, probably before anyone else was up and about, so no one else would have seen it. Archie’s been missing for over 24 hours now.”

 “So now we just have to figure out where that van went to,” Emma said. “But how? It could have gone anywhere in town. Hell, they could have left town for all we know!”

“I’ll see what I can find,” David said as he started playing around with the security footage again. “Maybe another camera caught it.”

“There!” Emma exclaimed as she saw a flash of white on the screen. David paused the tape to take a closer look.

“Looks like it was heading up Main Street,” he said as he hit play again to watch the van’s progression. “And it didn’t turn off on to any side street, so it was heading to the edge of town. There’s a few properties and abandoned buildings out there.”

“All right, let’s go then,” Emma said as she got out of her seat, David hot on her heels.

*****

Emma and David travelled down Main Street in the patrol car, not bothering to turn on the lights-it was quiet enough that they didn’t need them and David had said he didn’t want to panic anybody.

“So you’ve been sheriff for six months?” Emma asked. Normally she avoided small talk with people she didn’t know that well but she found David likeable enough.

“Yeah, about that long,” he said. “I was part of the Sheriff’s office in my home town, a town smaller than Storybrooke if you can imagine that.”

“I find that kind of hard to believe,” she admitted.

David laughed. “Well, it was out in the country, in the middle of nowhere. Lots of farms, houses on big acreages, and if you wanted to go to the grocery store or get gas you had to drive about an hour to get there.”

“Sounds kind of lonely,” Emma said quietly.

“It could be,” David said with a shrug. “My mother died about a year ago and my father died when I was a kid. I did have a fiancé but after my mother died, I realized I wasn’t marrying her for love. I was marrying her because it was the easy thing to do. Mom and I didn’t have much, and Kathryn was from a well-off family. Her father wanted our land, so she and I started dating and got engaged.”

“Like an arranged marriage?” Emma asked. “I didn’t think anyone did that anymore.”

“I wouldn’t say arranged, more like a marriage of convience. Anyway, after my mother passed, Kathryn and I talked and agreed we weren’t right for each other. We broke things off and she reunited with her high school sweetheart Frederic. I decided there wasn’t anything left for me there, so when I heard about this position I sold the family farm and moved to Storybrooke.”

Emma opened her mouth to ask him what the deal was with him and Mary Margaret when he pulled the car over to the side of the road. Looking ahead, Emma saw that there was a fork in the road. She followed David as he got out of the car, leaning down to inspect both paths.

“There are tire tracks going down each fork,” he mused, “so it’s possible the van did come down this way. I just don’t know which way it would have gone.”

“What’s down the road?” Emma asked. “Is there one spot that might be more likely than the other?”

“Down the right, there’s an old abandoned warehouse just down the road. No one’s been there for years,” David said. “To the left is a cabin. It’s a fair piece down and I don’t know who owns it but if it’s one of the Black Knights, it would be a good spot to interrogate Archie. It’s remote enough that no one would notice anything suspicious.”

“But if they wanted Archie to do something for them, then the warehouse might be a better spot,” Emma pointed out. “More room to store equipment and stuff.”

“Maybe,” David said uncertainly.

“How about this,” Emma said. “We split up. You check out the cabin and I’ll check the warehouse. If we find something, we let the other know, otherwise we meet back here.”

“No way,” David said vehemently, “I don’t like the idea of splitting up.”

“But we’ll cover more ground,” Emma argued. “If we split up, we could find Archie faster rather than guessing on where he is and having to backtrack if we’re wrong.”

She could see that David was wavering before he sighed in defeat. “Fine. But I want you to take these with you.” Reaching into the car, he pulled out a walkie-talkie and a gun, handing them to her. “If you get into trouble or see anything, let me know. I don’t want you rushing in there with no back up.”

Rolling her eyes as she clipped the walkie-talkie and the holster with the gun to her belt, she snarked, “All right, _Dad_ , anything else?”

David laughed for a second before sobering up. “I’m serious Emma, be careful. We’ll meet back here in an hour. The warehouse isn’t too far down the road, so you could walk if you wanted to. Unless you’d rather have the car?”

Shaking her head, Emma said, “It’s fine, you take it. See you in an hour.”

Emma turned and started walking down the road, the headlights illuminating the path for a moment before David turned down the other fork. The moon was out tonight, providing a bit of light for Emma to see; perfect for sneaking through the woods.

Emma kept her eyes peeled, listening intently for any sounds she shouldn’t hear. The only thing breaking the silence was her own footsteps, crackling over the dead leaves and branches. It was kind of eerie, being surrounded by so much quiet. Emma had gotten used to living in Boston, where there was always some kind of noise. Nothing like New York, of course, but there was still something to fill the silence.

Within a few minutes, Emma came across the warehouse. It was surrounded by a chain link fence that was at least six feet tall. But it certainly didn’t look abandoned like David had said. The gate wasn’t locked up and looked to be in good shape and… was that a light she saw in one of the windows?

Before she could go closer to inspect it, Emma heard something coming behind her. It sounded like a vehicle. But there was no way it could be David, he had said the cabin was farther down the road. He wouldn’t have been able to get there and back yet. Thinking quickly, Emma took cover in the forest, hiding behind a set of bushes as she peered out.

As soon as she was hidden, a set of headlights illuminated the path. As the vehicle drew closer, Emma saw it was a white van, exactly like the one that had taken Archie. Glad her hunch had been correct, she watched as the vehicle approached the building, the gate opening automatically to allow it to enter. Emma reached for the walkie-talkie but stopped. If she hurried, she could go through the gate before it closed again and try to find Archie before anything happened to him.

Standing up, Emma took a step forward when suddenly, a strong arm wrapped itself around her waist as a hand covered her mouth, muffling her shout of surprise as she was yanked back into the shadows


	6. Chapter 6

Emma struggled against the strong grip of her captor, trying to get an elbow into the gut. The captor only tightened their hold on her, pinning her arms to her side so she couldn’t get enough force behind her movement. Undeterred, she took her foot and stomped it as hard as she could on their foot, their grip loosening slightly as they swore.

“Bloody hell love, I’m trying to help you!”

Emma froze at the familiar voice. Looking down, she saw the arm around her waist had a hook on the end of it, realization dawning on her just as the other person let her go.

“Hook,” she all but growled as she whirled around, finding herself face to face with the superhero, the black mask highlighting his startling blue eyes which only seemed brighter in the moonlight. “What the hell!? You scared the crap out of me!”

“Well since I just stopped you from storming headfirst into a building that could be filled with Black Knights, you could be a bit more appreciative!” Hook snapped back. “What were you thinking Swan? They would have killed you if you went in there!”

“I was just trying to get in the gate,” Emma said. “It’s not like I was going to run into the building, yelling ‘Police’!”

“Did you stop to think that they have cameras on the gate to see who comes and goes?”

Emma opened her mouth to retort when she froze, snapping her mouth shut. “No,” she admitted grudgingly.

Sighing, Hook reached up with his namesake to brush a piece of Emma’s hair back, causing her to shiver. Not because his hook grossed her out but because it seemed like such an intimate gesture. “Look love, I get that you want to save Archie but it’s no use getting yourself killed in the process. Let me help you. We can save him together.”

“Why should I trust you?” she asked suspiciously. “I don’t even know you.”

“Well, what better way to get to know someone than a rescue mission!” Hook said in an overenthusiastic voice, making Emma roll her eyes. “Besides, aren’t all superheroes automatically trustworthy?”

Not wanting to waste any more time-who knew what was happening to Archie? - Emma said, “Fine, we’ll do this together. But don’t think I’m taking my eyes off you for a second.”

“I would despair if you did,” Hook said charmingly, throwing in a wink that was atrociously bad. “This way,” he said as he started towards the building, staying in the woods. Emma followed as he led them to the perimeter of the trees, where they could see the side of the building.

“How is this any better?” Emma complained. “It’s still surrounded by a fence.”

“The fence isn’t the problem, not when you- or rather _I_ -can fly. It’s the possibility of a camera spotting us that I’m worried about.”

“All right, what’s your plan then?”

“I’ll fly over, see if it causes any commotion and scope out the place while I can. If no one comes after me, I’ll come back and get you and we’ll find a way in.”

“And what the hell am I supposed to do while you’re gone?” Emma fumed. “How will I know if you’re coming back? You could just decide to leave me here at the mercy of the Black Knights.”

“Try something new, darling,” Hook said imploringly as he looked her in the eyes. “It’s called trust.”

Staring at him, Emma couldn’t detect any insincerity in his words. “Fine. But do it fast.”

Hook smirked at her before looking up at the sky and taking flight. Emma watched until a cloud drifted over the moon, the darkness swallowing him up.

Emma waited impatiently for what felt like hours but in reality, was probably only minutes. How long did it take to see if an alarm was raised? She couldn’t hear anything unusual, so she assumed the Black Knights didn’t know he was there. But what if they’d ambushed him from behind and caught him unaware? Tired of waiting, Emma decided to take action. She’d never been the type to sit around and let others take the lead anyway.

She approached the fence, eyeing it cautiously. She’d scaled fences before, this shouldn’t be a big deal. The only thing to watch out for was the barbed wire around the top. Grabbing the fence, she placed one boot in a slot until she had a good purchase, raising the other leg up a bit higher than the first. Slowly, she made her way to the top of the fence, carefully climbing over the barbed wire until she was dangling from the other side. Looking down and seeing it wasn’t that far of a drop, Emma decided to let go rather than climbing down, hissing in pain when her left hand got caught on the barbed wire, tearing the flesh of her palm. As she hit the ground, she bent her knees to absorb the impact before straightening.

“What happened to waiting for me to come get you Swan?”

Turning, Emma shrugged when she saw Hook, looking both annoyed and amused at the same time, landing lightly on the ground beside her. “You were taking too long, so I took matters into my own hands.”

“Hmm, impressive,” he said before his gaze drifted down, concern lacing his features. “Give me your hand.”

“What?” Emma said as she looked down at her hand, momentarily forgetting about it.

“Your hand, it’s cut, let me help.”

“Oh, no, it’s fine-“

“No, it’s not,” Hook insisted as he wrapped her left wrist in his hook, gently pulling her closer so he could inspect it.

“So now you’re going to be a gentleman?” she asked sarcastically.

“Well, we can’t have you dripping blood all over the place. And I’m always a gentleman,” he said in a hushed tone as he pulled a flask from his jacket pocket, pulling the cork out with his teeth before dumping the liquid on Emma’s hand.

Gasping at the sting, Emma exclaimed “Ah, ow, what the hell is that!”

“It’s rum,” he said as he unwound the scarf that was around his neck, “and a bloody waste of it.”

“You carry rum around with you?” Emma asked skeptically as he started wrapping the scarf around her palm.

Shrugging, he said, “It keeps up the pirate theme. Now, here’s the plan. There’s an entrance on the roof. It doesn’t seem to be guarded so we’ll go in through there and find Archie.” As he tied the scarf in a knot, Hook bent down and took the end of the knot in his teeth, looking up and holding Emma’s gaze as he tightened it.

Emma felt her eyelashes flutter in response, her stomach clenching and her pulse racing at the sudden tension between them. “And then?” she whispered, proud of the fact that her voice only wobbled a little bit.

“Well, then we run like hell,” Hook replied.

“But what if there are people on the other side of the door? Or a motion detector or something? There’s got to be another way in.”

Letting go of her wrist, Hook said, “Well, let’s head up there and take a look.” Without warning, he scooped Emma up in his arms, one leg under her knees while the other supported her back as he flew up to the roof. Emma didn’t have time to protest, not that she really wanted to. She’d never experienced anything like it, the cool night air rushing all around her, whipping her hair around, as they rose higher and higher. After no time at all, Hook was setting her back on her feet, allowing her to survey the roof herself.

Walking over to the door he mentioned, Emma pressed her ear against it, listening for any sounds on the other side. “I don’t hear anything,” she admitted, “but it’s still a risk going in through here.”

“Any suggestions then love?” Hook questioned. Most of the time, when a man asked her something like that, Emma would think he was being dismissive, not really caring what she had to say. She encountered it a lot in her line of work; bail bonds was typically a male dominant world and many of them didn’t think much of a woman in the profession. But with Hook, Emma felt like he actually wanted to hear her thoughts, that he respected and valued her opinion. It surprised her, in all honesty, that a hot shot superhero would want to hear what she had to say.

“Well,” she said slowly, looking at the grate off to the side that had caught her eye as soon as they’d landed, “that depends. How do you feel about tight spaces?”

“If I get to share it with you love, I’m all for it,” Hook replied with a smirk and a raised eyebrow.

Emma rolled her eyes in response. His ability to go between sincere and flirtatious was astounding.

“If we go through the air duct,” she said, ignoring his comment, “we might be able to get an idea of the layout and find an empty room to enter.”

A smile took over Hook’s face as he gave her an appraising look. “Excellent idea love!” he exclaimed. Using his hook, he started loosening the screws holding the cover in place before gently removing it. Emma leaned forward to look in the air duct once the cover was off. It was wide enough that they’d be able to crawl through but they’d have to go in single file. Stepping back, she looked over at Hook, who gestured with his arm for her to go first. Smirking at him, she mimicked his gesture and said, “After you.”

Hook eyed her for a moment before making a humming noise, crouching down and crawling into the vent. Emma followed, trying not to notice how nicely the leather pants showed off his assets.

It wasn’t long until Hook stopped, staring out another grate that gave them a view of the room below. “I don’t see anyone,” he said quietly. “Looks like this room isn’t used much.”

Emma crawled closer so she could see too. “It looks like this entire level is one giant room,” she noticed. We’re going to have to try another floor to find Archie.”

Nodding in agreement, Hook said, “Step back love, I’m going to remove the grate.”

“How?” Emma asked. “You can’t rip it off, that’s sure to raise the alarm.”

“Relax love, I know what I’m doing,” he assured her. He gave Emma a look until she finally scooted back. When he seemed satisfied that she’d moved back far enough, he looked at the grate again. Suddenly, blue beams shot out of his eyes, hitting the metal of the air duct with a sizzling sound. Hook slowly moved his gaze around the duct cover, the blue beams following. When he’d almost made it all around, he reached out and grabbed the cover, holding it in his grasp. The blue beams reached the point where Hook had started and suddenly the cover came free, Hook pulling it in and setting it aside.

Emma stared at him in amazement. “You can shoot lasers from your eyes?” she asked in disbelief.

“Superhero, love,” was all he said in reply. Placing his hands on either side of the opening he’d created, Hook slowly lowered his legs out until he was dangling from his fingertips, a good ten feet from the floor. He let go suddenly, Emma gasping in shock and rushing forward to try to grab him before he crashed to the floor, only to find him hovering in front of her. Holding out his hand, he said, “Here love, I’ll lower you down.”

Emma took his hand in hers, letting him take her in his arms as he flew them down to the floor. Once they landed, the two of them looked around and spotted a stairwell, making their way towards it.

“I’ll go first,” Hook said quietly.

Emma nodded in agreement, following him as he made his way down the stairs. When they reached the bottom, Hook poked his head out, looking around the hallway before drawing himself back in. “It looks all clear,” he whispered. “What do you think we should do from here?”

“Well, we need to figure out where Archie is,” Emma whispered back, “but there’s got to be an easier way than poking our head in every room.”

Nodding his head in agreement, Hook said, “I might be able to locate him.”

“How?”

“Super hearing,” he explained. “My hearing is better than that of an average human. I might be able to hear him if he speaks or if someone says something about him.”

“All right, let’s do it then,” Emma said.

Hook closed his eyes, his brow furrowing in concentration. Emma took the moment to look at him while he couldn’t see her. His dark hair was artfully windblown after his flight outside, making Emma want to run her fingers through it to see if it was as soft as it looked. The mask covered a portion of his face but Emma could still make out the high cheekbones and the strong jaw, which was currently clenched as he focused on the sounds around them. Then there was the dusting of stubble on his face, the artificial lighting in the stairwell bringing out a few red highlights Emma hadn’t noticed before. Eyes casting downward, Emma swallowed when she saw the generous display of chest hair his shirt allowed, being nearly unbuttoned to his navel as it was. To top it all off, the leather pants he wore hugged his legs like a second skin. Emma had been struck by his looks the first time she’d seen him but this was the first time she’d had such an extended period of time to admire him.

Emma shook her head, trying to clear her thoughts. What was she doing, having these kinds of thoughts about Hook? She didn’t do romance or feelings or anything like that, especially with someone she’d just met. Especially when they were a superhero (there was something she never thought she’d say).

Hook finally opened his eyes. “All right, I think he might be on this floor. I heard a Black Knight say something about going to the third floor, which I’m fairly certain is where we are, for another round with the cricket, so I assume that’s Archie.”

Emma felt a sense of dread in her stomach. “What did he mean by another round? That makes it sound like they’re torturing him or something.”

“I don’t know Swan,” Hook said grimly, “but perhaps it’s best we locate Archie as quickly as possible.”

Hook stepped out into the hallway. Emma was about to follow when she heard a dinging sound, like an elevator arriving. Looking, she saw that there actually _was_ an elevator just down the hall and according to the light it had just arrived on this floor. Not wanting to risk meeting who was on the other side, Emma exclaimed, “Whoa, whoa, whoa!” Hook whirled around to face her to see what the problem was just before Emma grabbed him by the arm, yanking him back into the stairwell. The momentum caused Hook to crash into her, their arms automatically going around each other, Emma’s head resting on his shoulder.

“It’s about bloody time,” Hook murmured, his arms tightening around her as he tried to draw Emma closer.

Emma grunted as she managed to extract herself from his hold, not thinking about how for a moment she had felt safe and secure in a dangerous situation. “There was an elevator in the hallway. Probably the Black Knight coming to see Archie.”

“Well that’s a plausible excuse for grabbing me but next time don’t stand on ceremony,” Hook said as he reached out to straighten her hair and jacket.

“Let’s find Archie and get out of here,” Emma insisted. “And how did you not hear that? Aren’t you supposed to be the one with super hearing?”

“Apologizes, lass, but I was trying to see if I could hear anything else about Archie, so I tuned out the other noises. Shall we carry on?”

Emma nodded her head once before stepping around Hook, peeking out into the hallway before stepping out, her hand drifting down to rest on her gun in case they came across anyone. The pair made their way down the hall, pausing for Hook to listen to see if he could hear anything before he would shake his head and carry on. At one door Hook paused before whispering, “This is it.”

“What’s the plan?” Emma asked.

“I’ll go in and distract any Black Knights, draw them out. Once I do, you go in and get Archie out. Take him back to the roof and I’ll meet you there.”

Suddenly, a voice from inside the room shouted, “No, no, please!” Emma could clearly hear the panic and fear in Archie’s voice.

“Or we do this,” Emma said. And she kicked in the door, drawing her gun as she barged into the room.

The room wasn’t overly large and was sparsely furnished, the only furniture being the chair Archie was currently sitting in, manacles binding his wrists to the chair. Standing over him were two Black Knights, one holding a wicked looking knife in his hand as they both looked up in surprise. They overcame their shock quickly though, advancing on Emma and Hook in a menacing manner.

Emma and Hook exchanged a look before they rushed in, each of them going after the henchmen. Emma managed to avoid the one with the knife, taking a few swings at his partner instead. The Black Knight fought back, Emma managing to block each of his blows with her forearms, trying not to wince at the shock that went up her arm. As he threw another punch at her, Emma ducked down, swinging her leg out to take him out at the knees. The Black Knight fell with a grunt as Emma pounced, grabbing one of his arms and twisting it into an awkward angle, causing him to cry out in pain.

“All right buddy,” Emma said grimly, “how about you tell me what you wanted with Dr. Hopper?”

“Never,” he growled. “I won’t betray my queen.”

Emma twisted his arm higher, drawing another cry of pain from him. “Let’s try another question then, see if that will get you to talk. How many other Black Knights are in this building?”

“I don’t know, maybe another ten?” he whimpered. “I don’t know the exact number.”

Loosening his arm a fraction, Emma turned to see Hook had already disposed of his adversary, the other man knocked out cold at Hook’s feet.

“I’ll deal with them,” Hook said, “you get Dr. Hopper out of here.”

“You sure you can handle that many?” Emma questioned.

“Don’t worry about me love,” he assured her with a wink, causing Emma to roll her eyes at him. “I’ll be fine.” He turned to leave but paused. “What should we do with this one here?” he asked, gesturing to the man Emma had a hold of.

Looking around, Emma saw another set of manacles connected to the floor. Hauling the man to his feet, she dragged him over, quickly closing the manacles over his wrists. “This should hold him until David gets here.”

Hook smirked at her. “Oh, you’re a tough lass. You’d make a hell of a pirate.”

Emma rolled her eyes at his statement, trying to not show that what he said kind of pleased her. “Just go deal with the other Black Knights so we can get out of here alive.”

“Point taken,” he agreed, before flying off.

Emma turned to Archie, reaching into her pocket for her always handy bobby pins. “Dr. Hopper, are you all right?”

“I’ve been better,” he admitted, “but I’m happy to see you here. How did you find me?”

“David asked for some help,” Emma explained as she got to work, inserting the bobby pins into the lock.

“You know how to pick a lock?” Archie asked in surprise.

“Yep. It’s all about the tumblers,” Emma said just as she heard the click. She quickly freed Archie’s wrist from the manacle before moving on to the second one. Once that one was open, Archie pulled his wrist free, rubbing at where it had chafed with his other hand. “Come on, let’s get out of here,” Emma said, drawing her gun out and leading them out of the room.

They made it to the roof without any trouble, Emma on the alert the whole time they were on the move. When the door leading outside shut behind them, Emma let out a sigh of relief. Grabbing the walkie talkie on her hip, Emma was about to radio David for backup when she saw the sheriff’s cruiser pulling up to the gate.

“Looks like the cavalry has arrived,” remarked a familiar accented voice behind her.

Turning, Emma found Hook had made his way up as well. “What happened to the Black Knights?”

“I locked them up in one of the rooms,” Hook said with a shrug. “Figured that was as good a place as any to keep them until the proper authorities arrived.” Walking over to Archie, he said, “Now Dr. Hopper, how about we get you out of here so you can get checked out, hmm?” And without another word, he scooped Archie up and flew him down to the ground, the town therapist letting out an exclamation of surprise as he did.

Moments later, after delivering Archie to David and having a brief word with the sheriff, Hook flew back up to the roof, gently landing beside Emma. “Afraid I forgot about you love?” Before she could respond, he gave her a speculative look. “I don’t mean to upset you Emma but I think we make quite the team.”

Emma tried to ignore the truth in his words. Sure, he could be a pain in the ass with his flirting but he could be sincere when he wanted to be and he actually listened to her and respected her opinions. There had been an almost instant connection between the two of them, the way they could almost read each other and anticipate what the other was thinking. But working with others wasn’t Emma’s thing. She had pretty much always worked on her own and she did better that way. Besides, she wasn’t willing to take a chance and trust him in case she was wrong about him.

Deflecting, she said, “Let’s just get back down please. I need to talk to David.”

Hook eyed her for a moment before nodding his head. Looking at her for permission, he waited for her nod of approval before gently picking her up and flying into the night sky.

*****

Storybrooke Hospital was smaller than most hospitals Emma had been in but while it lacked the hustle of activity, it still had the same sterile environment, the same antiseptic smell. Emma tried to ignore her surroundings; she’d always hated hospitals, avoiding them as much as possible. But she had wanted to make sure Archie was okay, so she’d tagged along with David when he followed the ambulance to the hospital.

David hadn’t exactly been pleased that she’d rushed in without letting him know anything but since she hadn’t been alone he’d been a bit more forgiving. Since Storybrooke didn’t have the police force to transport the Black Knights Hook had locked in the building, David had called for backup from the next town over. They had arrived quickly, agreeing to house the Black Knights in their prison until they could go to trial. David had also called Marco to let him know Archie had been found and was on his way to the hospital to get checked out. The elderly handyman had been overjoyed to hear that his friend was safe and had thanked David and Emma as soon as he saw them after they’d arrived at the hospital.

“Sheriff Nolan?” an unfamiliar voice said, drawing Emma from her thoughts. Looking up, she saw a man in a doctor’s coat approaching them.

“Dr. Whale,” David said, confirming the man’s identity as he reached out to shake his hand. “This is Emma Swan,” he continued as he introduced the two. “She helped me locate Dr. Hopper.”

“Pleasure to meet you,” Dr. Whale said with a quick nod in Emma’s direction. “Now, I’ve examined Archie and while he has a few cuts and bruises, there are no other physical injuries. Obviously, he’s a bit shaken but he won’t need to stay here too long. We’ll keep him overnight but he should be good to go tomorrow morning.”

“Good to hear,” David said. “Would it be possible for us to speak to him? I’d like to get a statement from Archie as soon as possible.”

“I think it should be all right,” Dr. Whale mused. “I just wonder if making him relive his trauma so soon is wise but you’re welcome to try. If he starts to get distressed though, I’d ask that you stop questioning him and call a nurse.”

David nodded in agreement before turning to Emma. “You want to come in with me?”

“Am I allowed to?”

“You’re a big reason we found him Emma,” David said with a smile. “You should be there.”

Emma thought it over before saying, “Okay.”

Dr. Whale led them to Archie’s room, where they found Marco sitting in the chair beside the bed chatting with his friend. Both he and Archie looked up when David knocked on the door.

“Archie, Marco, sorry to interrupt,” David apologized, “but I was wondering if we could speak to Archie? We’d like to get a statement about the events of the past few days.”

“Of course,” Archie said. “It’s the least I can do after you saved me.”

Marco excused himself, offering to go get coffee from the cafeteria. Once he was gone, Archie asked, “What would you like to know?”

“Could you tell us what happened yesterday morning?” David asked, taking out a pen and small notepad.

“Well, the night before I was kidnapped, the mayor called me at home, wondering if I would be able to see Henry before he went to school the next day. She said he’d been having some more issues recently and she thought an extra session would be beneficial to him. I agreed to meet them at my office around 7:00 so Henry wouldn’t be late for school. When I got out of my car and started towards my office, two masked men came out of the alley and grabbed me and forced me into their van.”

“Where did they take you after that?” David asked.

“At first they took me to the warehouse where I was found but last night they moved me to a cabin in the woods not too far from the warehouse. We spent the night there and most of the day before they moved me back to the warehouse.”

“That explains why the tire tracks went to both locations,” Emma interjected. “Any idea why they kidnapped you?”

A guilty look came over Archie’s face, causing Emma and David to exchange a look. “I might have an idea why,” Archie admitted. “They were asking a few questions that made it clear what they wanted.”

“You can tell us Archie,” David encouraged. “Anything you know can only help us catch the Black Knights and maybe the Evil Queen.”

Archie took a deep breath before asking, “Did you know before I was a therapist, I did some research on the human brain? I went through grad school and was working on my PhD. I was trying to find a cure for depression other than medication that had quite a few negative side effects. My research was focused on changing the levels of the chemicals in the brain that bring about depression.”

“How were you doing that?” Emma asked curiously.

“It was a machine we were using,” Archie explained. “We were only in the prototype phase so it was still quite large but we were planning on making it small enough to be portable, so the average person could take it anywhere with them. What it did was send out ultrasonic waves that would create a signal in the brain to alter the chemical levels until they were closer to where they were supposed to be; for example, if serotonin levels were low, it would send a signal to increase the serotonin levels. We were having some success with it but we realized that there could be some negative implications with what we were doing.”

“Such as?” Emma prompted, slightly impatient with Archie’s reluctance to share with them.

“Well for one, the machine we had been using wasn’t able to limit itself to one person. The waves could affect the chemical levels of more than one person at a time. Of course, we were planning to change that as we made it smaller but I started thinking if other people knew it could affect multiple people, would they try to take advantage of that? I was afraid if it ended up in the wrong hands, someone would use it as a mind control device.”

“How could they do that?” David asked, concern showing in the way his brow was furrowed and his turned down mouth.

“If they altered the machine,” Archie explained, leaning forward a bit, “they could change it so that instead of altering the chemical levels of the brain, the machine could create similar thoughts among a group of people. For example, if a politician wasn’t sure they would get the vote in a state, they could use the machine to send a signal causing the citizens to have more positive thoughts about them or negative thoughts about their opponent.”

“So what did the Black Knights want to know?” Emma asked.

“They seemed to be interested in how to power the machine. I’ll admit that worried me a bit,” Archie said with a frown. “I destroyed the prototype when I abandoned my research but if they’re looking for ways to power the machine, it sounds like they could be building their own.”

A concerned look passed over David’s face before he schooled it back into a calm mask. “Did you tell them how to power it?”

“I… I’m not sure, to be honest,” Archie said guiltily. “I don’t remember everything from when I was captured… there seem to be a few gaps in my memories.”

Closing his notebook, David gave Archie a reassuring smile. “Well, since they were still questioning you when Emma found you Dr. Hopper, we might be all right. We’ll leave you to rest now, I’m sure you need it after your ordeal.”

Emma followed David into the hallway, saying goodbye to Marco as they passed him on his way back to Archie’s room. “What do you think?” Emma questioned. “Should we be worried about whether or not he told them anything?”

“Probably,” David admitted. “I’m hoping he didn’t but we can’t rule it out. But it sounds like the Evil Queen and Rumplestiltskin are trying to find a way to control people.”

“What do you think they plan on doing if they can?”

“I don’t know but whatever it is, it can’t be good,” David said grimly.

“Something else he said got me thinking… Archie said he was supposed to meet Regina and Henry at his office yesterday morning. Why didn’t Regina call to report him missing?” Hearing the familiar click clack of heels striding across the floor, Emma looked up and muttered, “Speak of the devil…”

“Sheriff,” Regina said, “I heard about Dr. Hopper, is he all right?”

“He’s fine, Madam Mayor,” David assured her. “A little banged up and shaken but other than that he’s fine. I’ve already questioned him.”

“Actually, there’s something we’d like to ask you,” Emma butted in, ignoring the look David gave her.

“Well, I’m not really sure that this involves you Ms. Swan,” Regina retorted snidely.

“Actually, Emma was a big help in finding him,” David said, a hint of pride in his voice. “I couldn’t have done it without her.”

“Good to know the sheriff’s office is bringing in random civilians to solve crime,” Regina said harshly, giving David a dark look. “Perhaps I need to go over the budget and adjust how much you get, since you’re clearly incapable of doing your job Sheriff!”

“I really didn’t do as much as David thinks,” Emma said quickly, trying to get Regina’s ire away from him. “Anyway, I wanted to ask why you didn’t report Archie missing? He said you were supposed to take Henry to see him yesterday morning. It seems odd that you weren’t worried about Archie then.”

“Well Ms. Swan, that’s because I ended up not taking Henry to see Archie yesterday. Henry was awake through the night because of nightmares and I knew he’d be too tired if I woke him up earlier than usual, so I called Archie’s office early in the morning and left a message to let him know we wouldn’t make it. So you see, I had no way of knowing Archie wasn’t where he was supposed to be.”

Emma narrowed her eyes, her inner lie detector pinging. Regina wasn’t outright lying but there was something she was holding back. Or maybe it was just the smugness in the mayor’s voice that was setting it off. “Is Henry all right?” she asked, concern for her son’s well being pushing her suspicion to the back of her mind for now.

“That doesn’t concern you,” Regina said coldly. “Now, if you’ll excuse me, I’d like to check on Archie myself.” And with that, she walked away, leaving Emma staring after her in disbelief.


	7. Chapter 7

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Just a heads up I made a minor change to the previous chapter. A reader suggested that Hook's laser beams should be blue instead of red and I thought that was a really good idea, so I decided to change it. It doesn't come up this chapter but thought I'd mention it before I forgot. Thank you KiwistreetSwan for the suggestion!

Saturday morning, Emma walked out of Granny’s dinner, sipping her hot cocoa to ward of the chill in the air. It had started getting cooler now that it was early November, the days becoming shorter and the air frostier in the mornings. Normally Emma would still be in bed at this time on a Saturday, trying to catch up on sleep after a long week going after bail jumpers but today was the day Henry spent at the library and since Regina still wasn’t keen on letting Emma spend time with him, there was no way she was missing it.

As Emma went to walk across the street, the sheriff’s cruiser suddenly pulled in front of her, siren going for a moment before becoming silent as David stepped out of the car.

“What’s with the siren?” Emma asked him as he came around the car to stand in front of her.

Shrugging, David responded, “Just trying to get your attention.”

“Why, are you going to arrest me again?” Emma teased him.

David chuckled before he sobered. “Actually, I wanted to thank you for your help in finding Archie. Who knows what would have happened if you hadn’t.”

“Sorry if it got you in trouble with the mayor,” Emma apologized. “She didn’t seem too happy the other night.”

“She’ll get over it,” David said breezily. “She’s never happy about anything anyway. But in all seriousness, I do owe you and I had an idea on how I could repay you.”

“Key to the city?”

“Actually, how about a job? I could use a deputy.”

Emma stared at him in shock as she felt the panic that seemed to accompany anything resembling some kind of permanence rising. “Thank you but I have a job.”

“As a bail bonds person? There’s not much of that going on around here.” Before Emma could protest, David hauled out his wallet and pulled out a card from its depths. “Why don’t you think about it and stay awhile?” he suggested as he handed the card to Emma. Looking down, she saw it was a business card with his name and number on it.

She had to admit, it made sense. She wasn’t ready to leave Henry yet and she’d need to find something to do to earn some money while she stayed. But taking up the deputy job, it seemed so permanent, like she was committing to being a part of the community. And commitment was not her strong suit.

“I’ll think on it,” Emma agreed. Eyeing the time on the clock tower, she said, “I should probably get going. But I’ll let you know when I decide.”

Nodding, David said, “I’ll see you around Emma,” before he hopped back into the cruiser, carefully backing out onto the street and driving away.

Emma continued walking towards the library, lost in thought. She had to admit, the thought of having a steady income while she was in Storybrooke, however long that would be, was appealing. It wasn’t like she was broke but if she was going to contribute to the rent at Mary Margaret’s, she would need to start saving up. But part of the reason bails bonds had been such a good fit for her was because it was something she could do anywhere; she could pick up and move on to a new location if she felt that familiar itch, the need to run and get away before she got too comfortable where she was, before it felt too much like home. Anytime she’d started to grow attached to a place growing up, she was always sent away, until eventually she just stopped becoming attached, not bothering to make friends or become involved when she was just going to be sent away again. At the end of it, Emma had started running away from the foster homes before they could get rid of her, telling her she wasn’t good enough. But if she took this job, she couldn’t just run away if she felt like it.

A shout of her name broke Emma out of her conflicting thoughts. Looking around, she smiled as she saw Henry running towards her, his knapsack bouncing against his back with every step. “Hey kid,” she greeted as he bounded up beside her, wrapping her arm around his shoulders to pull him to her side. Emma had never been overly affectionate, choosing to close herself off from others to prevent being hurt, but Henry had a knack of bringing out her softer side.

“Hey,” Henry replied, slightly breathless from running. “Save anybody today?” There had been a story in the paper about Emma and David rescuing Archie, something that had fascinated Henry. He’d been calling Emma a hero the last few days, eager to know if she had done any other heroic deeds.

“Not today but it’s still early,” Emma said with a smile. Pulling the door open, she gestured for Henry to go in ahead of her. “Let’s see what’s on the go today.”

Henry rushed in, calling out a greeting to Killian behind the desk before going to see Belle.

“Good morning Swan,” Killian said as she approached the desk. “Back again with your boy?”

“Yeah, Regina still isn’t too thrilled about me trying to spend time with him, so this is about the only time I can get with him,” she admitted.

Killian hummed in sympathy. “Well, Henry’s persistent. I’m sure he’ll wear Regina down eventually.”

“I hope so,” Emma confessed. Seeing he had a book open in front of him, Emma leaned forward to take a closer look. “What are you reading?”

Killian reached up and rubbed behind his ear, a nervous tic of his that Emma had picked up on. “ _Peter Pan_ ,” he admitted, looking somewhat sheepish at being caught reading a children’s book.

“Oh, I loved the movie when I was growing up!” Emma exclaimed. “I always hoped I’d wake up one night to find Peter Pan there to take me away to Neverland.” Emma felt her eyes widen when she realized what she’d said. Where the hell had that come from? Normally she was so good at not revealing too much about herself to anyone. For some reason though, Emma found herself telling Killian things she never thought she’d share with anyone.

Judging by the indignant look on his face, Killian didn’t realize the inner turmoil Emma was experiencing. “Why would you want that bloody demon anywhere near you?”

“Who, Pan?” Emma asked. “He’s the main character, the hero of the story! How can you not like him?”

“Because he’s an evil, manipulative little shite!” Killian exclaimed. “He wants to stay young forever and never grow up! How does that not scream villain?”

Emma laughed, amused at how passionate he was about this. “Because Captain Hook is the villain,” she reasoned.

“Or maybe, Pan is the villain of Hook’s story,” Killian argued.

“Oh, come on,” Emma said in an exasperated voice. “You can’t honestly expect me to believe Hook is the good guy.”

“He’s a victim of Pan,” Killian insisted. “The only reason he hates Pan so much is because Pan cut off his hand and fed it to a crocodile for sport! You can’t blame him for going after the boy.”

The sound of someone delicately clearing their throat prevented Emma from making a retort, as she and Killian turned to see the librarian standing there.

“As much as I love a good debate about literature and hate to break one up,” Belle said in an amused voice, her eyes twinkling, “I was hoping you’d be able to look up a book for me Killian? Grace wants to know if we have it but I can’t find it on the shelf.”

“Of course, milady,” he said smoothly, turning to the computer, hands posed above the keyboard. “What novel is the young lass looking for?”

“ _Alice in Wonderland_ ,” Belle informed him. As Killian typed away, Belle turned to Emma. “Hi, I don’t think we’ve been officially introduced. I’m Belle. You must be Henry’s mother.”

“Emma,” she confirmed, shaking the hand Belle had offered. “How did you know I was Henry’s mother?”

Belle offered her a wide smile. “Henry told me. He was really excited when you came to town. It’s been awhile since I saw him smile so much.”

Emma felt her heart warm in her chest, as it always did when someone told her how happy Henry was to have her in his life. She didn’t think she’d ever get tired of hearing those words. “This is a great place you have here,” Emma said. “Henry loves coming to the library.”

“He’s one of my regulars,” Belle agreed. “He loves reading and has such an imagination. I wish there were more people like him.”

“Hey Belle,” Henry said as he approached the three adults, “did _The Savior_ come in yet? It was published a couple weeks ago but I can’t find it on the shelf.”

An uncomfortable look passed over Belle’s face. “Actually Henry, the library isn’t going to take that book in,” she said gently.

“Why not?” Henry asked, confusion taking over his features.

“Apparently there were some complaints that the first story in the series had too much violence for its intended age group, so I was asked to not bring it in to the library’s inventory.”

A bitter look come over Henry’s face, breaking Emma’s heart. Henry always seemed so cheerful no matter what, so seeing him like this was difficult. “Let me guess, the complaints came from my mom’s office?” he asked, his tone indicating he already knew the answer.

Belle sighed. “I’m sorry Henry,” she consoled him, not denying his suspicions. “There’s nothing I can do. But there’s lots of others books here that you might like.”

Henry nodded dejectedly, walking away to browse the shelves. Emma turned to Belle with her eyebrows raised. “Seems like that book is pretty important to him.”

Belle nodded her head. “You know the book he always carries around, _Once Upon a Time_? The one he’s looking for is the sequel.”

“So why doesn’t Regina want it in?” Emma asked, feeling a sense of anger at the mayor depriving her son of something he clearly enjoyed.

“Well, what I told Henry is the excuse she gave me but I suspect it’s because she thinks his problems started when he read the first book. And I can’t do anything, because when the mayor called, she implied that if the library wasn’t going to be concerned about ‘protecting our youth,’” Belle made air quotations to show these weren’t her words, “than something else would go in the building.”

“She’d raise the rent?” Emma asked, not really surprised that the mayor would go that far.

“If only,” Belle said ruefully. “I could handle it if she raised the rent, because I know Robert would help out but the problem is Regina knows it too. The town owns the building, so she could evict me if she decided to.”

“Who’s Robert?” Emma asked, not familiar with the name. In the corner of her eye, she saw Killian clench his jaw, his hand tightening into a fist.

“Mr. Gold,” Belle said. “He’s uh, my partner.”

“Partner? Like financial partner?” Emma asked, confused. But then she saw Belle blush slightly. “Oh! Your partner. Sorry, I guess I wasn’t expecting… that,” she finished lamely.

“It’s all right,” Belle assured her. “You aren’t the only one to be surprised.”

“Hmm, yes, most people wonder why a woman like yourself would lower your standards,” Killian said darkly, ignoring the look Belle gave him.

“Be nice,” she said sternly. “I know you don’t get along but you said you’d support me.”

Killian had the grace to look contrite. “Aye, you’re right lass. I’ll try to keep my opinions about your relationship to myself. Now about that book Grace is looking for,” he said in a business like tone, clearly eager to move on and change the subject, “it was just returned last night so it probably wasn’t put back on the shelf yet.”

Belle gave him a grateful smile. “Thank you, Killian,” she said quietly, for both the information and for dropping the subject of Gold. Turning to Emma, she said, “It was nice meeting you Emma,” before she went in search of the book.

Emma turned to Killian once Belle was out of earshot. “So, I take it you don’t like Mr. Gold?”

“Not particularly,” he acknowledged. “He’s always seemed to hate me since I arrived in town, even though I’d never spoken to him at the time. But I don’t like how he treats Belle; he seems almost possessive of her at times. And he’s obsessed with having power over people. Belle deserves better than the likes of him.”

“You mean someone like you?” Emma asked, curious if jealousy was involved (and not looking too closely to see why she wanted to know if Killian was interested in Belle).

Killian gave her a rueful smile. “Belle deserves better than me, love.”

“You don’t think you’re good enough for Belle?” Emma asked in surprise. She didn’t think Killian was conceited by any means but he’d come across as confident any time he’d flirted with her.

This time, his smile was self-deprecating. “I’m not good enough for anybody.”

The words were familiar to Emma. She’d never felt good enough for anybody, between her parents abandoning her and all the foster homes that didn’t want her, plus the whole Neal fiasco. But to hear it from someone like Killian, who was kind, thoughtful, and funny (not to mention extremely good looking)… she couldn’t see how he didn’t realize just how great he really was.

“Well,” she said as she cleared her throat, nervous about taking such a leap of faith, “I know I don’t know you very well but you seem like a pretty good guy and any girl would be lucky to have you.”

“You think so Swan?” he asked, a glimmer of hope in his eyes. “Any girl in particular?” he asked, his eyes turning smoldering in an instant, his gaze seeming to bore into her.

Emma blinked, her breathing picking up just a little bit. “No one in particular,” she managed to get out, “just… anyone you might have your eye on.” Wanting to change the subject, Emma blurted out, “I’m going to see if I can find a book. I’ll see you later Killian.”

Before she could get too far, he said, “If you’re interested, I think we should have _The Princess Bride_ in the fiction section.”

Emma felt her jaw drop. “How did you know that’s one of my favourite movies?” she asked incredulously.

“You’re tattoo,” he said simply, gesturing to where the sleeve of her jacket had risen up, revealing the buttercup etched onto her skin. “I thought perhaps it was for Princess Buttercup. Besides, you seem like the type who would enjoy it.”

“And what type is that?” she asked, curious to know what he thought of her.

“The type who wants to believe in fairy tales, in True Love and all of that, but is scared to do so.”

Emma stared at him. The last time she’d been here, he’d told her she was something of an open book. Looked like that was still the case. “I’ll take a look. Thanks,” she said, eager to end the conversation.

“If you want borrow it, you’ll need a library card,” he said before she could run off. “I can start preparing one while you look for it, if you’d like?”

Emma considered it. Having a library indicated she’d be around town longer than just a guest, that she might be sticking around for awhile.

“All right,” was all she said. It was all Killian needed to give her a brilliant smile, seeming to know the significance as he pulled out a fresh card and started entering it in the system as Emma went to roam the shelves.

*****

Later that evening, Emma stood at Granny’s counter, waiting for the take-out order Mary Margaret had placed for them. The petite brunette had suggested they order out to celebrate Emma’s new job.

(“I still haven’t accepted Mary Margaret!”

“Not yet, but you’re still thinking about it, which means you’re probably going to take it!”).

Emma had to admit Mary Margaret had a point. She hadn’t called David yet but she was still thinking about his offer. If she was going to reject it, she probably would have told him by now. And she had gotten a library card. No one did that if they were planning on taking off in a few weeks.

Emma looked up as Ruby handed her the hot cocoa she had ordered. “Thank you,” Emma said, dipping her finger in the whipped cream and licking it off as the bell above the door dinged.

“How was the library with Henry today?” said a simpering voice. Emma looked up in surprise as Regina came and took a seat next to her at the counter. “That’s right, I know everything,” Regina continued with a smirk. “But relax, I don’t mind.”

“You don’t?” Emma asked suspiciously, not trusting the mayor to give up that easily.

“No,” Regina insisted. “Because you no longer worry me Ms. Swan. You see, I did a little digging into who you are and what I found out was quite soothing. It all comes down to the number seven.”

“Seven?” Emma had no idea where the other woman was going with this but she seemed determined to drag it out.

“It’s the number of addresses you’ve had in the last decade. Your longest in anywhere was two years. Really, what did you enjoy so much about Tallahassee?”

Emma looked away, the memories overwhelming over. The memories of thinking she was loved, that she mattered, that she had finally found a home, all of it ripped away from her in the cruelest of ways. “If you were wondering, I did find a place here in town,” Emma said.

“Yes, I know. With Ms. Blanchard,” Regina replied dismissively. “How long is your lease? Oh wait,” Regina tilted her head as if a thought had just occurred to her, “you don’t have one. You see my point?” Emma looked at her expectantly as she waited for the mayor to get on with it. “In order for something to grow Ms. Swan, it needs roots. And you,” Regina said pointedly, “don’t have any. People don’t change, they only fool themselves into believing they can.”

“You don’t know me,” Emma said lightly, determined to not show Regina how much her words bothered her.

“No, I think I do.” Regina leaned in closer as she delivered her next barb. “All I ask is that as you carry on your transient life, you think of Henry and what’s best for him. Perhaps consider a clean break. It’s going to happen anyway.” Regina stood up from the barstool, departing with an “Enjoy your cocoa,” tossed snidely over her shoulder as she walked away. Emma sat there fuming for a moment before standing up to give the mayor a piece of her mind. As she did though, she knocked over her hot cocoa, spilling it all over her shirt.

“Really,” Emma exclaimed exasperatedly. Ruby came running over with a towel, wincing in sympathy as she saw the mess Emma had made. “Do you have a laundry room I can use?” Emma asked the perky waitress, trying to feel grateful when Ruby nodded and pointed her in the right direction but too pissed off to care.

Emma stormed into the laundry room, ripping off her light grey sweater and tossed it into the washing machine with some detergent, slamming the lid shut with a satisfying bang. Who the hell did Regina think she was, acting like she knew Emma? Just because Emma had moved around a lot didn’t mean she was going to abandon Henry. Yes, she’d given him up at birth but she’d had no other choice. She could barely take care of herself, let alone an infant. And she’d still been in jail, with no one to help her care for her child. Giving him up for adoption had been the only choice. In all those other places, Emma had never had anything to keep her in town, no ties of any kind, but now she had Henry and she was determined to be a part of his life now that she’d been given the chance to meet him.

As she looked around, hoping to find an abandoned shirt she could borrow while hers was being washed, she heard a tentative voice behind her say, “Swan?” Whirling around in surprise, she found Killian standing there and she was suddenly very conscious of the fact she was only in her black bra and jeans, his piercing eyes raking over her body briefly before meeting her gaze again.

“Killian, what are you doing here?” she asked. She’d seen him in the diner when she’d first arrived but he hadn’t come to talk to her, so she’d assumed he’d left. Emma noticed that he’d changed out of the plain black button up he’d been wearing at the library that morning, now donning a black V-neck t-shirt with dark wash skinny jeans. He’d had on a red and black checked flannel shirt a few minutes ago but he was currently holding it in his hand.

“I, uh, saw what happened with Regina and thought you might like something to wear while your shirt’s in the washer,” he said, holding out the shirt in his hand.

Emma eyed him for a moment, her eyes falling to the hand he held out to her. She’d never seen Killian in a short sleeve shirt before, as he seemed to have a preference for long sleeves. Now that he was in just a t-shirt, she saw just how muscular his forearms were; strong and wiry, without being too beefy. And there was something else… leaning closer, she eyed the ink etched onto the skin of his forearm. “Who’s Milah, in the tattoo?”

Killian’s jaw clenched slightly at her question as he looked down at the tattoo as well, a heart pierced by a dagger, the name written in fancy script. “Someone from long ago,” he said, his voice morose as he turned his arm so the tattoo was out of sight, like he couldn’t bear the memories associated with it.

“Where is she?” Emma tried to keep her voice gentle, sensing she already knew the answer.

“She’s gone.” The finality in his voice tinged with just a hint of grief confirmed what Emma had suspected.

“I’m sorry,” she said sincerely. “You must have really loved her.”

Killian eyed her for a moment. “For someone who’s never been in love, you’re quite perceptive, aren’t you?”

“Maybe I was, once,” Emma admitted quietly as she met his gaze head on. The quiet admission seemed to reverberate around the room, filling more of the space than it should. The acknowledgement that they had both known love and heartbreak, for she knew he would recognize that same pain in her, seemed to tie them together, connect them in a way Emma hadn’t experienced in a long time.

Killian continued to eye her before saying, “It appears we have more in common than I first thought, Swan,” as he held his shirt out to her once again.

Emma considered it for a second before reaching out and taking it, her fingers brushing against his, causing a shock to spread through her whole body. She yanked her hand back like she’d been burned, blushing when she saw Killian pull his own hand away quickly. Maybe she wasn’t the only one affected by the simple, barely there touch. “Thank you,” she said gratefully, shrugging her arms into the sleeves and doing up the buttons as fast as possible. The shirt was way too big on her, the hem falling almost halfway down her thigh, the sleeves swallowing up her hands. But there was something comfortable about the soft flannel grazing her skin, the way it draped over her body. She discreetly inhaled the collar, breathing in the undeniable scent of Killian; an intoxicating mix of leather, rum and the sea breeze.

Killian gave her a soft smile before giving her a piercing look. “Don’t let Regina get you down love.”

“Kind of hard not to,” Emma muttered.

“Don’t let her tell you who you are Swan,” Killian said, stepping closer until he was in Emma’s space. “She’s wrong about you. She thinks you’re just a drifter, that you’re going to enter Henry’s life one moment and leave it the next. But I know how much you care for your boy and that you won’t let anything stand in your way.”

Emma stared at him, touched by his faith in her. No one had ever had so much confidence in her, had believed in her. It was something she’d never experienced and it was exactly what she needed to counteract Regina’s trivializing attitude. “You’re right,” Emma said slowly. “People have been telling me who I am my whole life. I just gotta punch back and say ‘No, this is who I am.’ If I want to make her see me differently, I’ll just have to prove to Regina I plan on sticking around.”

“That’s the spirit love,” Killian said, smiling proudly at her. As they became silent, the air around them seemed charged, the tension crackling around them. When it almost became overwhelming, Killian cleared his throat and took a step back. “Well, I should go. But I’ll see you around Swan?”

“What about your shirt? Don’t you need it?”

“I can get it another time. Besides,” he said, raising his eyebrows and smirking at her, “it looks better on you anyway.”

Emma tried not to roll her eyes at him. “All right, I’ll get it back to you later then.”

Killian smiled at her, giving her a little salute before he walked out the door. Emma stared after him, trying to not think about how well he seemed to get her. She had shared more of her past with him than anyone she’d ever met since Neal. Sure, she hadn’t told Killian all of the details but the fact that she was opening up to him, sharing pieces of herself, meant something. She just didn’t want to think about what it meant.

Emma walked back out to the diner to see if the food was ready. When she saw Ruby had it all packed up and ready to go, Emma went to the counter to pay, promising to come back for the shirt tomorrow. Ruby assured her it was no problem, eyeing the plaid shirt Emma currently had on with a knowing smirk. Shrugging into her jacket, Emma gave Ruby a wave goodbye before going to her car, placing the takeout on the front passenger seat. Before climbing in her self though, Emma pulled out the card that had been burning a hole in her pocket all day, leaning against the Bug as she dug out her phone and carefully dialed the number before her.

“Hello?”

“David, it’s Emma. I was thinking…“ Emma paused, trying to gather her thoughts. “Maybe some roots wouldn’t be so bad. That deputy job still open?”

“Absolutely.”

“Then I’m in,” Emma said with a sense of determination. “Is Regina going to be okay with this?” she asked, not wanting to get him in trouble.

“I don’t care,” David assured her. “It’s my department. I’ll see you Monday morning?”

“Yeah, I’ll see you,” Emma said before hanging up. She smiled to herself, thinking that maybe she’d finally found a place she didn’t want to run from.

*****

“A tie?” she asked David incredulously as she held up the hideous uniform he apparently thought she was going to wear. “You know you don’t have to dress a woman as a man to give her authority?”

It was Monday morning and Emma had shown up to the sheriff’s station right on time, eager to get started. Mary Margaret had been thrilled when she’d heard the news, insisting they celebrate with a bottle of wine. Emma had tried to downplay her roommate’s enthusiasm, insisting it wasn’t that big of a deal but Emma was secretly pleased herself. She wanted to make a good impression on her new boss but she had to draw the line at this outfit.

“What, you think you can get people to do what you want in that red coat?” David teased, the twinkle in his eye indicating he had no intention of making her wear the uniform, he had just wanted to see her reaction.

“I’m getting you to do what I want right now,” she said sweetly, tossing the offending piece of clothing aside.

“At least wear the badge,” he said, holding it out to her. “If you really want to be a part of this community, let’s make it official.”

Emma took the offered badge, trying to not roll her eyes at how old fashioned this town was. Since there was no way she was putting it on her coat, she reached down and clipped it to her belt.

A sudden rumble shook the station, Emma and David throwing their arms out for balance as items fell of the shelves, the lamp crashing to the floor. It only lasted for a few seconds before the rumble stopped, the silence almost eerie after the sudden noise. It didn’t last long though, as simultaneously every phone in the sheriff’s station started ringing. David grabbed the nearest one, listening to whoever was on the line before assuring them he’d check it out. Hanging up, he grabbed his coat off the hook. “There’s been an explosion at the old mines,” he explained. “We’ll head down, make sure everyone’s okay and see what we can do. Welcome to your first day,” he finished sarcastically.

*****

The scene they arrived to was chaotic, the dust not yet settled from the explosion. There was a crowd of people gathered around, all clamoring to find out what was going on. Lights from the firetrucks that had already arrived were flashing as the firefighters got out, shouting to each other. A large amount of rubble was around the entrance to the mines, not quite blocking it off but enough to show something had happened. As Emma and David exited the cruiser, the saw Regina arriving as well, pleading with the crowd to stay back. When she saw David, she quickly made her way over.

“Sheriff, set up a police perimeter. Marco, why don’t you help the fire department,” she said to the older man who was standing nearby. As Marco rushed off to help, Regina turned to Emma. “And Ms. Swan, this is now official town business, you’re free to go.”

“Actually, I work for the town now,” Emma said, trying to keep the smugness out of her voice as Regina’s eyes widened in shock before she turned her glare on David.

“She’s my new deputy,” David said calmly, not backing down.

“Well, they say the mayor’s always the last to know,” Regina said bitterly.

“It’s in my budget,” David replied.

“Indeed.” Clearly not happy with the situation but unable to do anything about it at the moment, Regina said, “Well, deputy, why don’t you make yourself useful and help with crowd control.” She stormed off before Emma could say anything.

“Well, that went better than I thought it would,” Emma said.

“Hmm,” David hummed in agreement. “How about you keep people back while I set up the perimeter, sound good?”

Emma nodded at him before she walked to the crowd, ordering them back. It took a few minutes but she was able to get everyone a safe distance back. Once she was satisfied, Emma looked around, surprised to see Henry rushing towards her.

“What are you doing here kid? It’s not safe.”

“I was with Regina, on the way to school when it happened. She told me to stay in the car,” he said, slightly impishly.

“She’s right kid, the car is the best place for you. Come on, let’s get you back there,” Emma said, putting her hand on Henry’s shoulder to guide him away from the mines.

“But this could be our chance to investigate for Operation Cobra!” Henry exclaimed. “What if the Evil Queen caused the explosion? This could be our chance to prove she and Regina are the same person!”

“Henry, we will find what caused this but you are not getting involved,” Emma said sternly. “It was probably just a portion of the mine collapsing. I heard someone say they’re really old and no one’s used them in years.”

“You don’t believe me?” Henry asked in a hurt voice. Before Emma could say anything, Henry continued. “Well, I’ll just have to find proof then.” And before she could react, he darted past her towards the entrance to the mines, scrambling over the rubble to enter the mine’s depths, his backpack bouncing with each step.

“Henry!” she shouted, running after him and crawling over the rubble. As she stepped into the mines, she paused, letting her eyes adjust to the sudden darkness. “Henry!” she called again, walking farther in as she tried to find her son.

In the distance, a bang sounded, the ground shaking underfoot. Emma looked up as rock and earth started to fall around her, hurling herself farther into the darkness to avoid being crushed. She stumbled to the ground, coughing as dust filled her lungs.

When the dust settled, Emma gazed around to find no sign of Henry. But as she turned her gaze towards the entrance of the mines, she felt her heart drop into her stomach.

The rocks and earth that had been falling in the aftermaths of the explosion had completely blocked off the entrance, with not even a stray beam of sunlight penetrating it. There was no way out; they were trapped in the mines.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I went back and forth on whether or not I should have the Ashley/Cinderella stuff from Season 1. I ultimately decided not to because I don't want to have everything from Season 1 and I couldn't think of a good way to make it fit in to the story. But I really wanted Emma's speech included, so I figured it would be a good way for Emma and Killian to have a moment. Hope you enjoyed this chapter!


	8. Chapter 8

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Here's the latest chapter. Unfortunately I don't know when I'll be updating again, as this is the last chapter I have written at the moment. I'll try not to leave you guys hanging too long though.

“Emma!” David shouted, rushing towards what had once been the entrance to the mines but was now a pile of rock and rubble, the dust slowly settling in the aftermath. He tried shifting some of the rocks around but quickly gave up. There were too many of them and he was afraid he’d just cause more damage if he jostled them around too much. “Damn it Emma!” he growled, worry for her making him frustrated as he slammed his fist against the rock. What the hell had caused her to go in there?

“Henry!” David turned to see Regina striding towards him, worry and fear in her eyes. “Henry’s in there, we have to get him out!”

David felt his heart sink into his stomach. “Emma’s in there too,” he said. “She must have gone in after him.” Remembering the walkie-talkie he had given Emma on the drive over, he yanked the one he had off his belt. “Emma, can you hear me?” he asked, straining to hear something, anything, other than the crackling sound the device was emitting. “Emma!”

“I hear you,” came Emma’s voice faintly over the radio.

David let out a sigh of relief. “Are you all right? Is Henry there?”

“I’m fine but Henry got in ahead of me. I don’t know where he is.”

David pressed the button to reply but Regina beat him to it. “How did he get in there in the first place?” she snapped into the speaker. “Why didn’t you stop him!”

“Don’t pin this on me!” Emma snapped back, panic and anger ringing through her voice.

“Ladies,” David interjected. “We don’t have time for this.”

There was silence from Emma’s end for a moment before she replied. “He’s right,” she admitted. “Arguing won’t solve anything.”

Regina hesitated a moment before sighing. “Agreed.”

“What do you want me to do?” Emma asked.

“Look for Henry, see if you can find him,” David said. “Meanwhile, we’ll see if we can find you a way out of there.”

“All right,” came Emma’s reply before it was silent again.

Turning to Regina, David raised his eyebrow. “So Madam Mayor, how much do you know about the town’s mines?”

*****

Emma clipped the walkie back to her belt, digging out the pocket flashlight David had insisted she take with her. She’d scoffed at first, claiming he was being a worry wart but now she was grateful he’d been so adamant. Emma didn’t fancy the idea of being down here in complete darkness, unable to see what was lurking in the shadows. Fumbling with it for a moment, her fear for Henry causing her hands to shake slightly, she was finally able to turn the flashlight on, casting its beam around the tunnel. Up ahead, she could see where it forked into two paths. But how could she know which way Henry had gone? Carefully stepping forward, Emma strained to see down each path as far as the light’s beam would allow, looking for any clue as to which one Henry would have taken, listening for anything besides her own footsteps echoing back at her. Pausing at the fork, Emma leaned forward as something shining from the left path caught her eye. Jogging towards it, shadows dancing all around at the flashlight’s movement, she crouched down and gingerly picked up a foil wrapped chocolate bar.

“Bingo,” she whispered. The mines had been abandoned for ages, according to the townspeople, and she doubted the bar had been down here for that long. Henry must have come this way. The knowledge that she was on the right path making her braver, Emma stood up and took longer strides, shining her light in every nook and cranny she came across. As she approached a bend in the tunnel, she thought she heard something up ahead. Was that another set of footsteps? Feeling hopeful, she started walking faster, calling out, “Henry?”

And suddenly there he was, rushing towards her and throwing his arms around her waist to hug her, Emma pulling him tighter as her hand cradled his head. “Henry,” she murmured, “you scared me.” Now that she knew he was safe, Emma felt the fear and worry she hadn’t allowed herself to focus on. What would she have done if something had happened to him? Pulling back, she squatted down to his eye level, her hands on his shoulders, not willing to let him go yet. “What were you thinking, coming down here?”

Henry looked down at his shoes before he met Emma’s gaze again. “I just wanted to find proof that my mom is the Evil Queen,” he said dejectedly. “I thought you might believe me if I could find something.”

“Henry,” she said gently, “nothing is worth putting yourself in danger. You could have been hurt.”

“I’m sorry, I didn’t know the mines would collapse.” Henry looked down at his shoes, scuffing the ground with his toe as he did. “It was a waste of time anyway, I couldn’t find anything.”

Emma felt torn. She hated seeing Henry this miserable but she didn’t want to lie to him either and say she agreed that Regina was a villain. Was this what parenting was? Trying to find a balance between keeping your child happy but at the same time having to disappoint them at times? “Henry… look, I’ll be honest, it’s a lot to ask me to believe. I mean, it’s hard enough knowing there are villains around, but for them to be someone you know? It’s a lot to take in. But just because I don’t know if she’s the Evil Queen doesn’t mean I don’t believe in you. So here’s what I can do; now that I’m deputy, I can be more involved. Part of my job is to fight crime, so that means trying to stop the Evil Queen and Rumplestiltskin. And I promise I will do what I can to take them down, so we’ll know once and for all who they really are.”

Henry looked at her before giving Emma a small smile, hugging her once again. “Thank you,” he said.

“You’re not mad that I’m still not convinced?”

She felt Henry shake his head against her shoulder. “It’s enough that you believe in me.”

Emma gave him one last squeeze before standing up. “All right, let’s get out of here.”

*****

Hook flew towards the town mines, cursing the fact that he couldn’t arrive sooner. He’d been at the newspaper’s office when the explosion had gone off, the ground shaking underfoot as everyone grabbed the nearest solid surface to stay upright. Unfortunately for Killian, Sydney had chosen Belle to go to the scene, feeling her familiarity with the town history would lend itself well to the article. Killian had had to stay behind, pretending to work on his own article while desperately keeping an ear out for any news. Once the second explosion had gone off, Sydney had decided to have two reporters at the scene, feeling it would be best to have as many angles as possible. Killian had been out of his chair before Sydney had finished his sentence, rushing out the door. He’d taken his car and parked it in a remote location before changing into his Captain Hook outfit (Superman might get away with wearing his suit under his civilian clothes but leather was much bulkier than spandex and more difficult to conceal, thank you very much) and flying off.

When he arrived, Hook hovered above high in the air, looking for a particular head of short blonde hair. Once he found it, he flew towards his quarry, landing beside the town sheriff. “Morning mate,” Hook said warily, already anticipating what kind of reaction he would get.

“Hook,” David said shortly. “What are you doing here?”

Hook tried not to sigh in exasperation. Ever since he’d arrived in town, Sheriff Nolan had been suspicious of Hook, most likely because of the menacing vibe that the black leather, kohl lined eyes, and hook gave off, and had insisted he didn’t need Hook’s help, or interference as he called it. While Hook tried to stay out of the smaller cases, the two had butted heads on more than one occasion over the larger cases when Hook offered his assistance, the sheriff usually being hostile when he did. “I’m just here to help, mate,” Hook said as patiently as possible.

“I am not your mate,” David snapped. “And I don’t need your help.”

“Oh really,” Hook snapped back, his patience already wearing thin after being stuck at the office earlier. “Because it looks like you do! Now, we can either keep arguing and waste our time or you can let me help. I doubt the sheriff’s station is equipped to handle a disaster on this large of a scale, so I’m sure I could be of assistance.”

He could see David warring with himself, weighing between his distrust of Hook, as well as his pride and stubbornness, and what was best for the town. “Fine,” David finally conceded after a beat, “but we’re doing this my way.”

“Fair enough,” Hook said, knowing it was the best he could hope for. “Any idea what happened here?” he questioned as he took in the scene. There was police tape set up around the mines, keeping the people who had gathered at a safe distance while members from the fire department cleaned up some debris.

“An explosion of some kind. Not sure how it started; we were going to investigate once we got the area clear but then there was a second explosion and the entrance collapsed in. There are two people trapped in there, my deputy and her son.” David ran his fingers through his hair, fear and worry radiating off of him.

The fact that two people were trapped down below certainly complicated matters. Then something else David had said registered. “Your deputy?” Hook asked. He hadn’t known the sheriff had gotten a new deputy. “Who’s your deputy?”

“Emma Swan, the woman you worked with to save Dr. Hopper.”

Hook felt his blood freeze in his veins, his heart stopping momentarily before pounding away at an unnaturally fast pace. “Emma’s down there? With Henry?” Hook stopped, taking in a deep breath to calm himself, trying to not think about why he was so worried. Of course, it was natural for him to worry about Henry’s safety, having come to care for the boy over the last year. But he had just met Emma Swan, barely knew the woman. Yet he couldn’t deny that the fear he felt was equal parts for Emma and Henry. There was just something about Emma that drew him to her, made him care for her in a way he hadn’t cared for anyone in a long time. Shaking his head, Hook turned to David with a determined gaze. “How do we get them out?”

Sighing, David admitted, “I don’t know.”

“Sheriff.” Hook and David turned to find the mayor coming towards them. “What’s going on?”

“We’re trying to find a way into the mines, Madam Mayor.”

“Well, since Captain Guyliner is here, perhaps we can make him useful,” Regina said as she eyed Hook in a new light. “Use your laser eye and blast the entrance open.”

“It could work but we run the risk of causing more damage,” Hook cautioned.

“Sadly, I agree with the pirate,” David said.

Hook turned to the other man with a smirk. “I’m winning you over, I can feel it,” he said cheekily.

“Well, I don’t see you two coming up with any other suggestions!” Regina snapped. “Now, Captain, unless you have a better idea, get on with it!”

 “Fine,” Hook conceded, turning his gaze onto the pile of rock currently blocking the entrance. Focusing, he narrowed his vision until laser beams shot out of his eyes, cutting through the rock. Rather than blast it away though, it only caused the entrance to collapse even farther.

“All right, all right, stop!” David said. “That’s just making it worse. We need to find another way.”

 “Maybe I can help,” a nearby voice piped up. Hook, David, and Regina turned to find Mary Margaret standing a few feet away.

“Ms. Blanchard, don’t you have a class to teach,” Regina said snidely.

“They decided to close the school for today, until they figure out what’s causing the mine to collapse. They didn’t want to risk anyone being hurt.” Mary Margaret gave Regina a level stare until the other woman turned away, her mouth forming a frown.

“Do you know another way into the mines?” David asked.

“I don’t but I know someone who should,” Mary Margaret said. “Leroy and his brothers, their father used to work in the mines. If anyone in town will know, it would be them.”

“Where is he?” David asked, looking around the crowd. Spotting him, David started to make his way over before Mary Margaret placed her hand on his elbow, holding him back. David froze in place, looking down at where Mary Margaret had her hand before looking back up at her, a slightly dazzled look on his face.

“It might be best if I talk to him,” Mary Margaret said. “Leroy and I go way back. Besides, he doesn’t always respond well to authority figures.”

“Of course,” David said breathlessly, before shaking himself out of it. “Uh, come on, let’s hurry.”

David and Hook followed Mary Margaret as she made her way towards the perpetually grumpy man, Regina following a few steps behind them. “Smooth, mate,” Hook muttered, unable to resist the temptation to needle the usually stoic sheriff.

“Shut up,” David grumbled just before they came to a stop.

“Leroy, we need your help,” Mary Margaret pleaded. “Do you know another way into the mines? Emma and Henry are trapped and we need to get them out.”

Leroy thought for a moment before snapping his fingers. “I’ve got it!” he exclaimed. “There’s an elevator shaft that comes up to the surface. If we can find it, someone can go down and get them out.”

“Do you know where it is?” Hook asked.

“It should be over here somewhere,” Leroy said. “Me and the boys should be able to find it.” Letting out a shrill whistle, Leroy shouted to his brothers, “Come on boys, it’s off to work we go!” The seven men made their way to the grassy area nearby, others joining them to help with the search.

“I’ll radio Emma, tell her what to look for,” David said. He eyed Hook before letting out a sigh of defeat. “I guess since you’re here Hook, the easiest thing would be for you to fly down and get them out. I could call in a crane and have it lower me down but I don’t know how long it will take for one to get here and there could be another explosion while we wait. We might not have that kind of time.”

“For once, I agree with you sheriff.” At David’s look of surprise, Hook said sardonically, “Well I told you we were getting along.”

David rolled his eyes before pulling out his walkie talkie. “Hook, you help them look for the entrance while I call Emma.”

Hook nodded his head in agreement before he headed off to help the others in their search. The sooner they got Emma and Henry out, the better.

*****

“Emma, you there? Did you find Henry?” David’s voice crackled over the walkie. Emma grabbed it, gesturing for Henry to stop for a second.

“I’m here. Henry’s here, he’s okay. Did you find something?”

“There’s an elevator shaft that comes to the surface. We’re trying to find it up here if the two of you want to look on your end.”

Emma exhaled, the tension leaving her body. They had a way out. Everything would be all right. “We’ll do that. See you soon David.”

“See you,” he replied, the smile clear in his voice.

Emma turned to Henry with a wide grin. “You hear that kid?”

“Yeah!” he exclaimed. “Come on, let’s find it!”

The two of them ventured farther into the heart of the mines, Emma shining her flashlight into the darkness.

“I think I found it!” Henry exclaimed a few minutes later, rushing ahead to his discovery. Emma followed, her heart pumping faster when she saw he had found what they were looking for.

“Good job kid,” she said. “Hop on, let’s get out of here.”

“Aren’t we going to wait here for them to find us?” Henry asked as he followed Emma into the elevator.

“We don’t have to. Look, we turn this here and it will raise us up.” Emma began turning the lever, the elevator raising a few inches below them.

“It’s working!” Henry cried.

Emma continued turning the lever, her arms starting to burn with the effort once they’d made it about halfway up the shaft. Suddenly, the earth around them started shaking, the elevator dropping down a few feet. Henry and Emma both put their arms out for balance until the shaking subsided. But when Emma went to turn the lever again, it wouldn’t budge.

“What’s wrong?” Henry asked after Emma let out a growl of frustration.

“The shaking must have messed up the tracks the elevator is on. It won’t budge.”

“That’s okay,” Henry said optimistically. “Someone will find us soon.”

Almost as soon as he spoke, daylight filtered in from up above. Looking up, Emma could just make out a patch of blue sky before something obscured it. Landing lightly on top of the elevator, Captain Hook smiled down at the two of them.

“I thought you were just supposed to find the elevator shaft and wait for me down there, love?”

“You were taking too long,” Emma shot back, not willing to admit she had never been so happy to see him. Hook just smirked at her like he knew what she was thinking before turning his gaze to Henry.

“You all right there, lad?”

Henry could only nod in response, his awe at being so close to a superhero making him speechless. Hook flew up so he was hovering over the top of the elevator, carefully removing the cover and setting it aside. “Come on lad, I’ll take you up first. It might be a tight squeeze if I try to fly all three of us out at once.” Hook reached his hand down, grabbing hold of Henry, Emma boosting him up. Hook waited for the boy to wrap his arms around his neck before looking down at Emma. Before he could speak though, the earth started shaking again, the elevator dropping a few more feet. Emma let out a little cry, unable to reign in her fear. 

“Mom!” Henry cried out, panic making his voice sound younger than normal. Emma felt the tears well up in her eyes. This was the first time he had called her that. It made her think of what could have been, if only she’d been able to keep him.

“It’s okay Henry,” she said in as soothing a voice as she could manage. “Hook is going to get you out of here.”

“But what about you?” Henry asked desperately, tears running down his cheeks.

“I’ll come back for her lad,” Hook promised. “Let me get you out of here and I’ll come back.” Blue eyes met green, Hook making his promise to Emma as much as to Henry. Emma nodded her head at Hook, trusting him to do his best to keep his word.

(She didn’t want to think what it meant that she trusted him already after having known him for such a short time when she hadn’t trusted anyone else in years, the necklace around her neck a reminder to never trust someone again).

“If you can love, hoist yourself up to stand on top of the elevator. It’ll be quicker for me to get you then.” He didn’t say out loud what the two of them were thinking; that he might not have time to get her out, that he might have to make a mad dash to grab her. Emma nodded her head in understanding, tears clouding her vision as Hook flew away with Henry in his arms, her son’s pleas and cries reaching her even as they flew higher and higher. Jumping up, Emma grabbed the edges of the elevator, pulling herself up and into a standing position, arms spread to try to stay upright as she balanced precariously on the frame.

The elevator dropped a few more feet, Emma’s stomach dropping with it. She had dropped her flashlight but she didn’t go to get it, wanting to be ready for when Hook came back. Emma felt the elevator beneath her feet drop again. Looking up, she could see Hook but he was so far away. He’d never make it back in time for her. The elevator started shaking on its own as it started slipping down. It kept shaking and shaking, dropping further into the darkness, until with a snap it let go, plummeting down.

Emma opened her mouth to scream but then realized… she wasn’t going down with it. Gazing up, she saw Hook there, his hand wrapped around her wrist. The sleeve of his coat had been pushed up a little, revealing something peeking out from under it. But before Emma could get a closer look, Hook pulled her up into his arms, one arm under her thighs to balance her, the other around her waist, holding her to him.

“It’s all right Swan,” he rasped. “I’ve got you.”

Emma stared at him, her mouth parted slightly. The way he was holding her had them pressed together from chest to thigh. She could feel each breath of his, his chest rising and falling in succession, his heart thumping away in time with hers. Emma’s arms had wrapped themselves around his neck of their own accord and she found herself unconsciously running her fingers through the ends of his hair, Hook’s eyes closing at the sensation. When they opened again, Emma saw a hint of lust, the ring of blue smaller than usual. Hook leaned in closer until he was a hairsbreadth away, their breath mingling in the minimal space between them.

“Henry,” Emma managed to say, breaking the moment. “He’ll want to know I’m okay.”

Hook gave a little shake of his head before saying, “Of course love. Let’s not keep him waiting any longer.” And with that, he flew them up above ground.

When they emerged, the gathered crowd let out a cheer, rushing towards them as Hook gently set her down on the ground. Emma ignored them, looking around for her son, standing on her tip toes to try to see his familiar mop of brown hair. When she saw him standing a few feet away with Regina hovering over him, Emma rushed over, reaching out to him as she gasped, “Are you okay?” But before she could get him in her arms, Regina pushed her hands away.

“Deputy, you can clear the crowd away,” Regina said, the dismissal clear in her voice as she grasped Henry’s arm, forcing him away. Emma could only watch as Henry was led to the car, looking over his shoulder at her the entire time.

“Don’t let Regina get you down love.”

Emma turned at the familiar words, feeling a sense of déjà vu, flashing back to the laundry room with Killian. But it wasn’t him, it was Captain Hook standing there, giving her a sympathetic look. “Funny, you’re not the first person to tell me that,” she muttered.

Hook seemed to freeze for a second, his eyes going wide, before he gave her a charming smile. “Well, if you won’t listen to me, hopefully you’ll listen to this other person.”

Emma narrowed her eyes. Something about his answer seemed off. She shook it off though, knowing it wasn’t important right now. “Thank you,” she said gratefully, “for saving us.”

“Well, it is what I do,” Hook responded cheekily. “See you around Swan?”

“Yeah, see you,” she said. Hook gave her one last smoldering look before he flew off into the sky, Emma staring after him until he was only a pinprick in the sky.

“Emma!” cried out two voices behind her. Emma turned to see Mary Margaret and David rushing towards her, Mary Margaret hugging her first before David did. Emma froze for a second, not use to the affection, but she managed to give each of them a quick hug back.

“Thank God you’re okay,” Mary Margaret exclaimed.

“You did good deputy,” David told her with a smile.

“Well, I couldn’t have done it without you, so thank you,” she replied.

“Actually, you should thank Mary Margaret,” David said as he gave the other woman an admiring look, Mary Margaret blushing under his praise. “It was her that had the idea of asking Leroy about the mines. I never would have known to ask him without her.”

“I’m just glad it all worked out,” Mary Margaret said. She frowned, looking around. “But where’s Henry? He was frantic when Hook brought him up, I thought he’d be glued to your side.”

“He’s with Regina,” Emma said quietly, trying to keep the pain out of her voice. By the sympathetic looks she got from the pair, she didn’t succeed.

“Well, it’s been a long day and I think we could all use a break,” David said. “How about lunch at Granny’s? My treat.” He hesitated before turning to Mary Margaret and saying, “You’re welcome to join us, if you’d like.”

Mary Margaret smiled at him. “I’d like that. Come on,” she said to Emma, linking their arms as she led her away.

Emma managed to give her friend a small smile in return before realizing with a shock what she had just done. She’d thought of Mary Margaret as a friend, something Emma hadn’t had for a long time. After being burned in the past by promises of friends forever and betrayal, Emma had determined she was better off alone, not needing anyone else to rely on. But here she was, thinking of Mary Margaret as a friend without even realizing it.

Maybe Mary Margaret wasn’t the only friend she’d made in her time in Storybrooke, Emma admitted to herself as she looked over to David on her other side. He might have been her boss but he had been more than that to her. And there was also Killian, Emma mused. She might have pushed him away at times but he was still supportive of her, encouraging her and listening to her when she needed. Emma had gained more than just her son when she’d come to this small, quaint town. She’d found people she could rely on and while it scared her a little, it was also nice to not handle everything alone.

While she wished Henry could be with her, Emma had to admit that this wasn’t too bad.

*****

Hook watched from the cover of the trees as Swan walked away with the sheriff and her roommate, cursing himself at the fact he’d almost given away his identity. How could he have been so careless, using the exact words he had uttered to her just a few days ago? Whenever he donned the costume of his alter ego, he tried to change his persona slightly so no one would know who he truly was. He walked with a bit more swagger in his step, hand cocked on his belt to exude confidence, pitching his voice a bit deeper than he usually did. Flying usually left his hair a bit more windswept than it normally was, so up to this point no one had suspected a thing. But twice now he’d slipped up, leading Emma to be suspicious. Thankfully she’d been too distracted up to this point to question it too much. Besides, he had a feeling that Emma was the type who would need hard, concrete evidence before she’d believe something. He’d just have to be more careful around her from now.

Nodding his head in determination, Hook flew into the sky, back to his job and the mundane life of Killian Jones.


End file.
